Etymology of the English word accident
the English word
accidentderived from the Old French word
accidentderived from the Latin word
accidens (accidental happening, chance event, contingency)
derived from the Latin word
accidere (cut, cut into, down; fall upon, down, to; happens, turns out, befalls)
derived from the Latin word
ad (to; near; to; to; to; near)
derived from the Latin word
ciderederived from the Latin word
cadere (to fall; fall, sink, drop)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kad- (to fall)
Date
The earliest known usage of accident in English dates from the 14th century.
Cognates
French
accident, German
Akzidenz, Italian
accidente, Norwegian
aksidens, Spanish
accidenteUsage
Word found in Modern English
