\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.
Note: Accident, in Law, is equivalent to casus, or such
      unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as
      is out of the range of ordinary calculation.