n. [ F. accident, fr. L. accidens, -dentis, p. pr. of accidere to happen; ad + cadere to fall. See Cadence, Case. ] 1. Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident. [ 1913 Webster ]

Of moving accidents by flood and field. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident:
It is the very place God meant for thee. Trench. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, as gender, number, case. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Her.) A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Log.) (a) A property or quality of a thing which is not essential to it, as whiteness in paper; an attribute. (b) A quality or attribute in distinction from the substance, as sweetness, softness. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Any accidental property, fact, or relation; an accidental or nonessential; as, beauty is an accident. [ 1913 Webster ]

This accident, as I call it, of Athens being situated some miles from the sea. J. P. Mahaffy. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Unusual appearance or effect. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Accident, in Law, is equivalent to casus, or such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the range of ordinary calculation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A property which is not essential; a nonessential; anything happening accidentally. [ 1913 Webster ]

He conceived it just that accidentals . . . should sink with the substance of the accusation. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. (Paint.) Those fortuitous effects produced by luminous rays falling on certain objects so that some parts stand forth in abnormal brightness and other parts are cast into a deep shadow. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mus.) A sharp, flat, or natural, occurring not at the commencement of a piece of music as the signature, but before a particular note. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. accidentel, earlier accidental. ] 1. Happening by chance, or unexpectedly; taking place not according to the usual course of things; casual; fortuitous; as, an accidental visit. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Nonessential; not necessary belonging; incidental; as, are accidental to a play. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accidental chords (Mus.), those which contain one or more tones foreign to their proper harmony. --
Accidental colors (Opt.), colors depending on the hypersensibility of the retina of the eye for complementary colors. They are purely subjective sensations of color which often result from the contemplation of actually colored bodies. --
Accidental point (Persp.), the point in which a right line, drawn from the eye, parallel to a given right line, cuts the perspective plane; so called to distinguish it from the principal point, or point of view, where a line drawn from the eye perpendicular to the perspective plane meets this plane. --
Accidental lights (Paint.), secondary lights; effects of light other than ordinary daylight, such as the rays of the sun darting through a cloud, or between the leaves of trees; the effect of moonlight, candlelight, or burning bodies. Fairholt. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Casual; fortuitous; contingent; occasional; adventitious. -- Accidental, Incidental, Casual, Fortuitous, Contingent. We speak of a thing as accidental when it falls out as by chance, and not in the regular course of things; as, an accidental meeting, an accidental advantage, etc. We call a thing incidental when it falls, as it were, into some regular course of things, but is secondary, and forms no essential part thereof; as, an incremental remark, an incidental evil, an incidental benefit. We speak of a thing as casual, when it falls out or happens, as it were, by mere chance, without being prearranged or premeditated; as, a casual remark or encounter; a casual observer. An idea of the unimportant is attached to what is casual. Fortuitous is applied to what occurs without any known cause, and in opposition to what has been foreseen; as, a fortuitous concourse of atoms. We call a thing contingent when it is such that, considered in itself, it may or may not happen, but is dependent for its existence on something else; as, the time of my coming will be contingent on intelligence yet to be received. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Accidental character or effect. Ruskin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being accidental; accidentalness. [ R. ] Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an accidental manner; unexpectedly; by chance; unintentionally; casually; fortuitously; not essentially. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being accidental; casualness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. assidens, p. pr. of assid&unr_;re to sit by: cf. F. assident. See Assession. ] (Med.) Usually attending a disease, but not always; as, assident signs, or symptoms. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. bidens, -entis, having two prongs; bis twice + dens a tooth. ] An instrument or weapon with two prongs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having two teeth. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot. & Zool.) Having two teeth or two toothlike processes; two-toothed. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ A sofa having a seat at each end at right angles to the main seats. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. One of two or more coincident events; a coincidence. [ R. ] “Coincidents and accidents.” Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. coïncident. ] Having coincidence; occupying the same place; contemporaneous; concurrent; -- followed by with. [ 1913 Webster ]

Christianity teaches nothing but what is perfectly suitable to, and coincident with, the ruling principles of a virtuous and well-inclined man. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Coincident. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With coincidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Confidant. South. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. confidentiel. ] 1. Enjoying, or treated with, confidence; trusted in; trustworthy; as, a confidential servant or clerk. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Communicated in confidence; secret. “Confidential messages.” Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Confidential communication (Law) See Privileged communication, under Privileged. --
Confidential creditors, those whose claims are of such a character that they are entitled to be paid before other creditors. --
Confidential debts, debts incurred for borrowed money, and regarded as having a claim to be paid before other debts. McElrath. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the state or attribute of being secret; privacy; as, you must respect the confidentiality of your client's communications. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. discretion in keeping secret information. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In confidence; in reliance on secrecy. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With confidence; with strong assurance; positively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being confident. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. curvus + E. dentate. ] Having curved teeth. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. diffidens, -entis, p. pr. of diffidere; dif- = dis + fidere to trust; akin to fides faith. See Faith, and cf. Defy. ] 1. Wanting confidence in others; distrustful. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

You were always extremely diffident of their success. Melmoth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Wanting confidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers; not self-reliant; timid; modest; bashful; characterized by modest reserve. [ 1913 Webster ]

The diffident maidens,
Folding their hands in prayer. Longfellow.

Syn. -- Distrustful; suspicious; hesitating; doubtful; modest; bashful; lowly; reserved. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a diffident manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

To stand diffidently against each other with their thoughts in battle array. Hobbes. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To turn away from the west; to throw out of reckoning as to longitude. [ Obs. ] Marvell. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. dissidens, -entis, p. pr. of dissidere to sit apart, to disagree; dis- + sedere to sit: cf. F. dissident. See Sit. ] No agreeing; dissenting; discordant; different. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our life and manners be dissident from theirs. Robynson (More's Utopia). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Eccl.) One who disagrees or dissents; one who separates from the established religion. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dissident, habituated and taught to think of his dissidenc&unr_; as a laudable and necessary opposition to ecclesiastical usurpation. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a dissident manner.

n. Dividend; share. [ Obs. ] Foxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. évinent, l. evidens, -entis; e out + videns, p. pr. of videre to see. See Vision. ] Clear to the vision; especially, clear to the understanding, and satisfactory to the judgment; as, the figure or color of a body is evident to the senses; the guilt of an offender can not always be made evident. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your honor and your goodness is so evident. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

And in our faces evident the signs
Of foul concupiscence. Milton.

Syn. -- Manifest; plain; clear; obvious; visible; apparent; conclusive; indubitable; palpable; notorious. See Manifest. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to, or affording, evidence; indicative; especially, relating to the evidences of Christianity. Bp. Fleetwood. “Evidential tracks.” Earle.. -- Ev`i*den"tial*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. Furnishing evidence; asserting; proving; evidential. [ 1913 Webster ]

When a fact is supposed, although incorrectly, to be evidentiary of, or a mark of, some other fact. J. S. Mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an evident manner; clearly; plainly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth. Gal. iii. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was evidently in the prime of youth. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. State of being evident. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a former president. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Identical. [ Obs. ] Hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. identique. See Identity. ] 1. The same; the selfsame; the very same; not different; as, the identical person or thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

I can not remember a thing that happened a year ago, without a conviction . . . that I, the same identical person who now remember that event, did then exist. Reid. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Uttering sameness or the same truth; expressing in the predicate what is given, or obviously implied, in the subject; tautological. [ 1913 Webster ]

When you say body is solid, I say that you make an identical proposition, because it is impossible to have the idea of body without that of solidity. Fleming. [ 1913 Webster ]

Identical equation (Alg.), an equation which is true for all values of the algebraic symbols which enter into it. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }, a. In diplomacy (esp. in the form identic), precisely agreeing in sentiment or opinion and form or manner of expression; -- applied to concerted action or language which is used by two or more governments in treating with another government. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adv. In an identical manner; with respect to identity. “Identically the same.” Bp. Warburton. “Identically different.” Ross. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being identical; sameness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being identified. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. identification. ] The act of identifying, or proving to be the same; also, the state of being identified. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. recognized; having the identity established. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Identified p. pr. & vb. n. Identifying ] [ Cf. F. identifier. See Identity, and -fy. ] 1. To make to be the same; to unite or combine in such a manner as to make one; to treat as being one or having the same purpose or effect; to consider as the same in any relation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every precaution is taken to identify the interests of the people and of the rulers. D. Ramsay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let us identify, let us incorporate ourselves with the people. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To establish the identity of; to prove to be the same with something described, claimed, or asserted; as, to identify stolen property. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To become the same; to coalesce in interest, purpose, use, effect, etc. [ Obs. or R. ]

2. To coalesce in interest, purpose, use, effect, etc.; to associate oneself in name, goals, or feelings; usually used with with; as, he identified with the grief she felt at her father's death. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

An enlightened self-interest, which, when well understood, they tell us will identify with an interest more enlarged and public. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. serving to distinguish or identify an object, person, species or group; as, we were asked to describe any identifying marks or distinguishing features. [ prenominal ]
Syn. -- distinguishing, distinctive. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. [ trademark ] A set of images containing a wide variety of facial features, such as noses, hairlines, chins, etc. on transparencies which can be overlayed in combinations to build up a picture of a person; it is used by police agencies to create concrete images of a crime suspect from the descriptions of witnesses; the image created with the kit is also called an Identikit, or more properly an Identikit picture. [ Trademark ]
Syn. -- Identikit picture. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ See Identity. ] (Metaph.) The doctrine taught by Schelling, that matter and mind, and subject and object, are identical in the Absolute; -- called also the system of identity or doctrine of identity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Identities [ F. identité, LL. identitas, fr. L. idem the same, from the root of is he, that; cf. Skr. idam this. Cf. Item. ] 1. The state or quality of being identical, or the same; sameness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Identity is a relation between our cognitions of a thing, not between things themselves. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The condition of being the same with something described or asserted, or of possessing a character claimed; as, to establish the identity of stolen goods. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Math.) An identical equation. [ 1913 Webster ]