Meeting or coming across someone or something, usually unexpectedly.
From Old French 'encontrer' (to meet face-to-face), from 'en-' (in) plus 'contre' (against). Entered English in the 1300s with the sense of meeting in conflict or confrontation.
The original meaning of 'encounter' was meeting in battle or face-to-face conflict, which is why the word still carries a slightly tense feeling even when we just mean running into a friend at the store.
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