Incident
/ˈɪn.sɪ.dənt/noun
An event or occurrence, especially one that is brief, unusual, or disruptive.
Did you know?Incident comes from Latin *incidens*, the present participle of *incidere* (“to fall upon, happen”), a verb built from *in-* + *cadere* (“to fall”), the same ancient root behind *cadence*, *chase*, and *cascade*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kad-
“to fall”
Latin
Latin
cadere
“to fall”
Latin
Latin
incidere
“to fall upon; happen; cut into”
Late Latin
Latin
incidentem
“falling upon; occurring”
Old French
Old French
incident
“an event; a happening”
Middle English
English
incident
“an occurrence or event”
Modern English
English
incident
“an event or occurrence, especially one that is brief, unusual, or disruptive”