noun
unusual event; accident; change for the worse
Archaic noun for an unexpected, often unfortunate event or change. Not used in modern Japanese; replaced by words like 異変, 事故, or 変事.
古文書には「変故ありて」といった表現が見られる。
In old documents, expressions like 'due to an unusual event' can be found.
Literary or somewhat formal word for an unexpected event; closer in nuance to 変故 but still in limited modern use.
Compound of 変 (unusual, change) and 故 (reason, event). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it appears in classical texts as a term for an unforeseen or adverse occurrence.