accidence

[ ak-si-duh ns ]
/ ˈæk sɪ dəns /

noun

the rudiments or essentials of a subject.
Grammar.
  1. the study of inflection as a grammatical device.
  2. the inflections so studied.

Origin of accidence

1500–1510; < Latin accidentia, neuter plural of accidēns (present participle of accidere to fall, befall). See accident

Example sentences from the Web for accidence

British Dictionary definitions for accidence

accidence
/ (ˈæksɪdəns) /

noun

inflectional morphology; the part of grammar concerned with changes in the form of words by internal modification or by affixation, for the expression of tense, person, case, number, etc

Word Origin for accidence

C15: from Latin accidentia accidental matters, hence inflections of words, from accidere to happen. See accident