accidence

noun ac·ci·dence \ ˈak-sə-dən(t)s , -ˌden(t)s \

Definition of accidence

: a part of grammar that deals with inflections

Recent Examples of accidence from the Web

But there also were people there who became celebrities by the accidence of violence.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "'They Come for My Rights in the Morning, They Will Come for Yours in the Afternoon.'," 15 Aug. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accidence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of accidence

Middle English accidens "set of grammatical endings," borrowed from Late Latin accidentia "categories applicable to a word class (such as gender, number, and case for nouns)," from neuter plural of Latin accident-, accidens "contingent attribute" — more at accident

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First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

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