accident

[ak-si-duh nt] /ˈæk sɪ dənt/
noun
1.
an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap:
automobile accidents.
2.
Law. such a happening resulting in injury that is in no way the fault of the injured person for which compensation or indemnity is legally sought.
3.
any event that happens unexpectedly, without a deliberate plan or cause.
4.
chance; fortune; luck:
I was there by accident.
5.
a fortuitous circumstance, quality, or characteristic:
an accident of birth.
6.
Philosophy. any entity or event contingent upon the existence of something else.
7.
Geology. a surface irregularity, usually on a small scale, the reason for which is not apparent.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin accident- (stem of accidēns happening, present participle of accidere to befall), equivalent to ac- ac- + -cid-, combining form of cad- fall + -ent- -ent
Related forms
postaccident, adjective
Can be confused
accident, Occident.
Synonyms
1. mischance, misfortune, misadventure; contingency; disaster.
Antonyms
4. design, intent.
Examples from the web for accident
  • The company has also had four crashes, including an accident in which there was an injury or fatality, according to the agency.
  • Most academics find their way into administrative work by accident.
  • Initial reports suggest that stormy weather may have contributed to the accident.
  • It's a measure of the health fears immediately after the accident that this number comes as a relief.
  • In some cases, thousands of people have been evacuated after an accident at a factory or during transport of liquefied chlorine.
  • There are mummies by design and mummies by accident.
  • The operators of the devices would be considered the cause for the accident and held responsible, attorneys say.
  • The names of the others involved in the accident were not immediately released.
  • The discrepancy between the panic generated by terrorism and the deaths generated by terrorism is no accident.
  • Well a sad accident to come back to the original topic.
British Dictionary definitions for accident

accident

/ˈæksɪdənt/
noun
1.
an unforeseen event or one without an apparent cause
2.
anything that occurs unintentionally or by chance; chance; fortune: I met him by accident
3.
a misfortune or mishap, esp one causing injury or death
4.
(logic, philosophy) Also called adjunct. a nonessential attribute or characteristic of something (as opposed to substance)
5.
(metaphysics) a property as contrasted with the substance in which it inheres
6.
(geology) a surface irregularity in a natural formation, esp in a rock formation or a river system
Word Origin
C14: via Old French from Latin accident- chance, happening, from the present participle of accidere to befall, happen, from ad- to + cadere to fall
Word Origin and History for accident
n.

late 14c., "an occurrence, incident, event," from Old French accident (12c.), from Latin accidentem (nominative accidens), present participle of accidere "happen, fall out, fall upon," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + cadere "fall" (see case (n.1)). Meaning grew from "something that happens, an event," to "something that happens by chance," then "mishap." Philosophical sense "non-essential characteristic of a thing" is late 14c. Meaning "unplanned child" is attested by 1932.

Slang definitions & phrases for accident

accident

noun

A person born from an unplanned pregnancy; an unplanned pregnancy: At 50, this third one was an accident (1900+)