accident [LME] An accident was originally ‘an event, something that happens’, not necessarily a mishap. It came into English via Old French, ultimately from Latin cadere, meaning ‘to fall’, which also gave us words such as cadaver [LME] ‘someone fallen’, *chance, decay [LME] ‘fall away’, incident [LME] ‘fall upon’ so ‘happen’; and occasion [LME]. The idea of an event ‘falling’ remains in the English word befall [OE]. Later the meaning of accident evolved into ‘something that happens by chance’, as in the phrase a happy accident. By the 17th century the modern meaning had become established in the language. The full form of the proverb accidents will happen, which dates from the early 18th century, is from accidents will happen in the best-regulated families. See also adventure.