Ac"ci*dent (?), n. [F. accident, fr.
L. accidens, -dentis, p. pr. of accidere to happen;
ad + cadere to fall. See Cadence, Case.]
1. Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place
without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and
unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen
occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap;
as, to die by an accident.
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.
2. (Gram.) A property attached to a word,
but not essential to it, as gender, number, case.
3. (Her.) A point or mark which may be
retained or omitted in a coat of arms.
4. (Log.) (a) A property or
quality of a thing which is not essential to it, as whiteness in
paper; an attribute. (b) A quality or attribute
in distinction from the substance, as sweetness,
softness.
5. Any accidental property, fact, or relation; an
accidental or nonessential; as, beauty is an accident.
This accident, as I call it, of Athens being situated
some miles from the sea.
J. P. Mahaffy.
6. Unusual appearance or effect. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
☞ Accident, in Law, is equivalent to casus, or
such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the
range of ordinary calculation.