| 释义 |
ac·ci·dent
\ˈaksədənt also -dənt or -ˌdent\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin accident-, accidens nonessential quality or circumstance, accident, chance, from present participle of accidere to happen, from ad- + -cidere (from cadere to fall) — more at chance
1.
a. : an event or condition occurring by chance or arising from unknown or remote causes
< by the accident that it was observed and noted down — Havelock Ellis >
< happenings outside the range of probability which we would term historical accidents — M.J.Herskovits >
b. : lack of intention or necessity : chance — often opposed to design
< by accident rather than with an intention to utilize — Arnold Bennett >
c. : an unforeseen unplanned event or condition
< by a charming accident he had disposed of them to a chance buyer — Arnold Bennett >
2.
a. : a usually sudden event or change occurring without intent or volition through carelessness, unawareness, ignorance, or a combination of causes and producing an unfortunate result
< a traffic accident in which several persons were injured >
b. : an unexpected medical development especially of an unfavorable or injurious nature occurring in apparently good health or during the course of a disease or a treatment
< the paralytic accident occurred between the 8th and 21st day after the initial injection — Journal American Medical Association >
< a cerebral accident >
c. : an unexpected happening causing loss or injury which is not due to any fault or misconduct on the part of the person injured but from the consequences of which he may be entitled to some legal relief
3. : an adventitious characteristic that is either inseparable from the individual and the species or separable from the individual but not the species; broadly : any fortuitous or nonessential property, fact, or circumstance
< accident of appearance >
< accident of reputation >
< accident of situation >
4. : an irregularity of a surface (as of the moon)
Synonyms: see chance, quality |