Insurance is a legal agreement between two parties i.e. the insurance company (insurer) and the individual (insured). In this, the insurance company promises to make good the losses of the insured on happening of the insured contingency. The contingency is the event which causes a loss. It can be the death of the policyholder or damage/destruction of the property. It's called a contingency because there's an uncertainty regarding happening of the event. The insured pays a premium in return for the promise made by the insurer.