Plural of fatality; deaths that result from accidents, disasters, wars, or diseases.
From Latin 'fatalis' (destined by fate, deadly), derived from 'fatum' (fate). The word entered English in the 15th century, carrying the sense that death is sometimes predetermined or inevitable.
The word embeds an old belief in fate—'fatalities' literally means 'deaths caused by fate'—yet we use it for accidents that are totally preventable. It's a linguistic ghost of how people once understood causation and destiny.
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