accidens

Latin

Etymology 1

Present active participle of accidō (“fall down or upon; happen”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈak.ki.dens/, [ˈäkːɪd̪ẽːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈat.t͡ʃi.dens/, [ˈätː͡ʃid̪ens]

Participle

accidēns (genitive accidentis); third-declension one-termination participle

1. falling down, upon, at or near, descending
2. happening (to), taking place, occurring, befalling

Declension

Third-declension participle.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	accidēns			accidentēs	accidentia
Genitive	accidentis			accidentium
Dative	accidentī			accidentibus
Accusative	accidentem	accidēns		accidentēs accidentīs	accidentia
Ablative	accidente accidentī1			accidentibus
Vocative	accidēns			accidentēs	accidentia

¹When used purely as an adjective.

Noun

accidēns n (genitive accidentis); third declension

1. accident, circumstance (chance event)
   • 1695, Teutsch-Lateinisches WörterBüchlein Zum Nutz und Ergötzung der Schuljugend zusammengetragen, Und mit 6000. darzu dienlichen Bildern gezieret. Deme noch über das eine kurtzgefaste Lateinische Sprach-Übung Und Zimliche Anzahl Auserlesener Sprüche beygefüget. — Dictionariolum germanico-latinum In Usum & delectationem Scholasticae Juventutis concinnatum, & aliquot millibus huic rei inservientibus Iconibus illustratum. Cui insuper accessit, Epitome Grammatices Latinae cum selectarum Sententiarum Farragine., Nuremberg (Nürnberg, Noriberga), p.197:

     Accidentia nominum sunt septem: Species, Figura, Persona, Genus, Declinatio, Numerus, & Casus.

     Accidents of nouns are seven: species, shape/figure, person, gender, declination, number, & case.

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, “pure” i-stem).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	accidēns	accidentia
Genitive	accidentis	accidentium
Dative	accidentī	accidentibus
Accusative	accidēns	accidentia
Ablative	accidentī	accidentibus
Vocative	accidēns	accidentia

Descendants

• English: accident
• Dutch: toeval (calque)
• German: Akzidens n, Akzidenz n; Zufall m (calque)
• Portuguese: acidente

Etymology 2

Form of the verb accīdō (“fell, cut down; use up; impair”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /akˈkiː.dens/, [äkˈkiːd̪ẽːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /atˈt͡ʃi.dens/, [ätˈt͡ʃiːd̪ens]

Participle

accīdēns (genitive accīdentis); third-declension one-termination participle

1. using up, consuming, diminishing
2. impairing, weakening, shattering

Declension

Third-declension participle.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	accīdēns			accīdentēs	accīdentia
Genitive	accīdentis			accīdentium
Dative	accīdentī			accīdentibus
Accusative	accīdentem	accīdēns		accīdentēs accīdentīs	accīdentia
Ablative	accīdente accīdentī1			accīdentibus
Vocative	accīdēns			accīdentēs	accīdentia

¹When used purely as an adjective.

References

• “accidens”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• accidens in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

---

Middle French

Noun

accidens m

1. plural of accident