occurrit

Occurrit is a Latin verb form meaning “it happens” or “it occurs.” It is the third-person singular present indicative active of the verb occurrere, and is commonly used in impersonal constructions to express that something presents itself or comes to someone’s mind. In classical Latin, the thing that occurs is often expressed in a neuter subject (such as hoc) or introduced by a subordinate clause, while the person to whom it occurs is in the dative.

Etymology and form: The word derives from occurrere, composed of ob- “toward” and currere “to run.” Over time, the sense broadened from the literal idea of running toward something to the figurative sense of something arising or presenting itself to someone. The form occurrit thus captures a present, ongoing occurrence as experienced by a dative experiencer.

Usage and grammar: Occurrit functions in an often impersonal construction where the experiencer is indicated with a dative like mihi, tibi, or illi. A typical pattern is hoc mihi occurrit, meaning “this occurs to me” or more freely, “this comes to me.” The construction can introduce a thought, a proposal, or an event that comes to mind or becomes apparent to the subject’s awareness. Because it is a verb form, other persons and tenses are expressed by the related forms of occurrere (e.g., occurri for passive or other tenses in Latin prose).

Examples:

- Hoc mihi occurrit. Translation: This occurs to me.

Modern reference: Occurrit is primarily encountered in classical Latin texts and linguistic descriptions of Latin grammar. It is of interest to students studying impersonal expressions and the dative of experience, rather than a living English term.

See also: occurrō, occurrere; Latin verb forms; Latin impersonal constructions; dative of experience. References: standard Latin dictionaries such as Lewis and Short.