kōˈin(t)sə̇dən(t)s noun
( -s )
Etymology: French coïncidence, from Middle French coïncidance, from coïncider (from Medieval Latin coincidere) + -ance
1. : the occupation of the same position in space
the coincidence of a point in space with another point
in time
coincidence of two events
or in a series or on a scale
coincidence of the readings on two thermometers
: the coming together or simultaneous occurrence or existence of things or events
the coincidence of the last note of the violin with the sound of the bell
2. : correspondence or agreement in nature, character, or detail
a perfect coincidence between truth and goodness — Robert South
3. : an instance of coinciding or corresponding
the coincidences between the Arabic and the Sanskrit versions — F.M.Müller
4. : the concurrence of events or circumstances appropriate to one another or having significance in relation to one another but between which there is no apparent causal connection
the coincidence that Mr. Baines should have died while there was a show of mourning goods in his establishment — Arnold Bennett
5. biology : the ratio between the observed number of double crossovers and the number predicted on a random basis — compare interference
6. : the simultaneous indication by two or more counting tubes of the passage presumably of the same ionizing particle through both or all of them (as in a cosmic-ray telescope) — compare anticoincidence