E-vĕnt'1, n.
n. [Lat. eventus, from evenire; It. & Sp. evento, Fr. événement, Lat. as if evenimentum, for eventum, eventus. See EVENE.] 1. That which comes, arrives, or happens; that which falls out; any incident, good or bad. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked. Eccl. ix. 2. 2. The consequence of any thing; the issue; conclusion; end; that in which an action, operation, or series of operations, terminates. Dark doubts between the promise and event. Young. Syn.—Incident; occurrence; adventure; issue; result; termination; consequence; conclusion.—EVENT, OCCURRENCE, INCIDENT, CIRCUMSTANCE. An event denotes that which arises from a preceding state of things. Hence we speak of watching the event; of tracing the progress of events. It never stands insulated, but marks an effect or result. An occurrence has no reference to any antecedents, but simply marks that which meets us in our progress through life, as if by chance, or in the course of divine providence. The things which thus meet us, if important, are usually connected with antecedents; and hence event is the leading term. In the Declaration of Independence, it is said, “When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary,” &c. Here, occurrences would be out of place. An incident is that which falls into a state of things to which it does not primarily belong; as, the incidents of a journey. The term is usually applied to things of secondary importance. A circumstance is one of the things surrounding us in our path of life. These may differ greatly in importance; but they are always outsiders, which operate upon us from without, exerting greater or less influence according to their intrinsic importance. A person giving an account of a campaign, might dwell on the leading events which it produced; might mention some of its striking occurrences; might allude to some remarkable incidents which attended it; and might give the details of the favorable or adverse circumstances which marked its progress.