accident

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Derived terms 1.3.3 Related terms 1.3.4 Translations 1.3.5 External links 2 French 2.1 Noun 2.1.1 Derived terms

[edit] English

Wikipedia

[edit] Etymology

French accident, from Latin accidens, -dentis, present participle of accidere (“‘to happen’”); ad- (“‘to’”) +‎ cadere (“‘fall’”). See cadence, case.

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæk.sə.dənt/, SAMPA: /"{k.s@.d@nt/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

accident (plural accidents)

1. Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character

   to die by an accident

   • Shakespeare, Othello, I-iii:

     Of moving accidents by flood and field.

   • Trench:

     Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee.

2. (grammar) A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, as gender, number, case.
3. (military) An unplanned event that results in injury (including death) or occupational illness to person(s) and/or damage to property, exclusive of injury and/or damage caused by action of an enemy or hostile force.
4. (heraldry) A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms
5. (logic) A quality or attribute in distinction from the substance, as sweetness, softness.
   • 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Folio Society 2008, p. 171:

     If they went through their growth-crisis in other faiths and other countries, although the essence of the change would be the same [...], its accidents would be different.

6. Any accidental property, fact, or relation; an accidental or nonessential

   Beauty is an accident.

   • J. P. Mahaffy:

     This accident, as I call it, of Athens being situated some miles from the sea.

7. (obsolete) Unusual appearance or effect - Geoffrey Chaucer
8. (law) casus; such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the range of ordinary calculation.
9. (automotive) An unintended collision.

   There was a huge accident on I5 involving 15 automobiles.

   My insurance is expenive now, mostly because of those two accidents.

[edit] Synonyms

• (event that takes place without foresight or expectation): befalling, chance, contingency, casualty, mishap

[edit] Derived terms

• accidental
• freak accident

[edit] Related terms

• accidentally

[edit] Translations

[edit] External links

• accident in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• accident in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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[edit] French

[edit] Noun

accident m. (plural accidents)

1. accident

[edit] Derived terms

• accidentel
• accidenter