An unexpected event that causes damage or injury; more generally, something that happens by chance, not on purpose.
From Latin *accidens* (present participle of *accidere*) meaning “to fall upon, happen,” from *ad-* “to” and *cadere* “to fall.” It came through Old French into English.
Originally, an ‘accident’ was anything that just happened to fall into your life, good or bad. Over time, we narrowed it to mostly bad surprises, which shows how strongly we feel the shock of unwanted events.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.