Accidence refers to the basic elements of a subject, particularly the inflections within grammar, or a book covering these basics. Its etymology relates to 'falling' or 'happening' in Latin, reflecting word changes.
Accidence refers to the fundamentals of a subject or the branch of grammar dealing with word inflections. It can also denote a book containing these fundamentals. The term originates from Latin words related to 'what happens' or 'falling,' linked to the concept of grammatical changes.
| Back | accidence /AK-si-dens/ |
|---|---|
| Front | noun 1. The fundamentals of any subject. 2. The branch of grammar dealing with inflections of words. 3. A book of fundamentals of a subject. [From Latin accidentia (from Latin accidens), from accidere (to happen), from ad- (toward) + cadere (to fall). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kad- (to fall), which is also the source of cadence, cascade, casualty, cadaver, chance, chute, accident, occident, decay, recidivism, perchance, casuistry. Earliest documented use: 1434.] “He flicked through the accidence, and closed it with a smile of accomplishment.” - Geraldine Brooks; Caleb’s Crossing; Viking; 2011. |
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