Does the Word Accident Exist?

The truth is, there is no such thing as an accident. ... However, calling something an “accident” implies that it happened randomly, by chance, and there's nothing anyone could have done to prevent it. It's a way of linguistically shrugging your shoulders and negating responsibility.

Who created the word accident?

late 14c., "an occurrence, incident, event; what comes by chance," from Old French accident (12c.), from Latin accidentem (nominative accidens) "an occurrence; chance; misfortune," noun use of present participle of accidere "happen, fall out, fall upon," from ad "to" (see ad-) + combining form of cadere "to fall," from ...

Is accident a proper noun?

1[countable] an unpleasant event, especially in a vehicle, that happens unexpectedly and causes injury or damage a car/highway/traffic accident He was killed in an accident. One in seven accidents is caused by sleepy drivers. ... I didn't mean to break it—it was an accident.

Robert Thorne

Robert Thorne

Automotive & Future Transportation Editor

Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.