accident

A2 Topic:Safety & Risk

US /ˈæk.sə.dənt/ UK /ˈæk.sɪ.dənt/ See IPA manual

noun adj Freq #881

Meanings

1

noun
A crash involving a vehicle that causes damage or injury.

There was a serious accident on the motorway this morning.
2

noun
An unexpected and usually harmful event that happens without anyone meaning it to.

He broke the vase by accident while cleaning.
3

noun
Something that happens by chance, without any plan or cause.

Winning the lottery was a happy accident.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 noun · something that happens by... stroke fortune

More befallingcasualtycasuschance contingency fortuity luck mishap

Opposites

impossibility inevitability intention

Word family

Forms accidents

Derived forms accident-proneaccidental accidentality accidentallyaccidentaryaccidentlyaccidentologistaccidentologymalaccidentnonaccidentpolacpostaccident

Related forms accidental accidentally circumstance coincidence happenstance

Common collocations

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-der. Proto-Italic *kadō Latin cadō Latin accidō Latin accidēnslbor. Old French accidentbor. Middle English accident English accident First attested in the late 14th century. From Middle English accident, from Old French accident, from Latin accidēns, present active participle of accidō (“happen”); from ad (“to”) + cadō (“fall”). See cadence, case. In the sense “unintended pregnancy”, first attested in 1932.

*ḱh₂d- Proto-Indo-European accident Middle English accidēns Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Safety & Risk

# accident

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** ˈæk.sə.dənt
**IPA (UK):** ˈæk.sɪ.dənt
**Frequency rank:** 881

## Meanings
1. A crash involving a vehicle that causes damage or injury.
2. An unexpected and usually harmful event that happens without anyone meaning it to.
3. Something that happens by chance, without any plan or cause.

## Examples
- There was a serious accident on the motorway this morning.
- He broke the vase by accident while cleaning.
- Winning the lottery was a happy accident.

## Synonyms
- befalling
- casualty
- casus
- chance
- contingency
- fortuity
- luck
- mishap

## Antonyms
- impossibility
- inevitability
- intention

## Derived Forms
- accident-prone
- accidental
- accidentality
- accidentally
- accidentary
- accidently
- accidentologist
- accidentology
- malaccident
- nonaccident
- polac
- postaccident

## Related Forms
- accidental
- accidentally
- circumstance
- coincidence
- happenstance

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ḱh₂d-
- Root: accident
- Root: accidēns

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-der. Proto-Italic *kadō Latin cadō Latin accidō Latin accidēnslbor. Old French accidentbor. Middle English accident English accident First attested in the late 14th century. From Middle English accident, from Old French accident, from Latin accidēns, present active participle of accidō (“happen”); from ad (“to”) + cadō (“fall”). See cadence, case. In the sense “unintended pregnancy”, first attested in 1932.

## AI Etymology
Accident is first attested in the late 14th century. It comes from Middle English accident, from Old French accident, from Latin accidēns, present active participle of accidō (“happen”); from ad (“to”) plus cadō (“fall”). Compare cadence, case. In the sense “unintended pregnancy”, first attested in 1932. The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-.

## Topics
- Safety & Risk

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