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." "Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee."
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.
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."
6.Unusual appearance or effect. (Obs.) Note: Accident, in Law, is equivalent to casus, or such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the range of ordinary calculation.
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