Ăc'ci-dent, n.
[Lat. accidens, p. pr. of accidere, to happen, from ad and cadere, to fall; Fr. accident. See CASE and CADENCE.]
Sense 1. An event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an event which proceeds from an unknown cause, or is an unusual effect of a known cause, and therefore not expected; chance; casualty; contingency.
Of moving accidents by flood and field. Shak.
Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee. Trench.
Sense 2. pl. (Gram.) The properties and qualities of the parts of speech, as gender, number, and case.
Sense 3. (Her.) A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms.
Sense 4. (Log.) A property or quality of a thing which is not essential to it, as whiteness in paper. This word is also applied to all qualities in distinction from substances, as sweetness and softness.
