喜樂美語

核心畫面

You can think of an accident as something that simply happens — nobody planned it, nobody aimed for it, it just fell out that way. The whole word grows from that one idea: events arriving by chance rather than by design. From there it leans, in everyday use, toward chance events that go badly — a fall, a crash, a spill.

可以想成：accident 的核心比較像「沒人安排、沒人故意，事情就這麼發生了」——純粹碰巧，不是設計好的。整個字都…更多收起可以想成：accident 的核心比較像「沒人安排、沒人故意，事情就這麼發生了」——純粹碰巧，不是設計好的。整個字都從這個念頭長出來。日常用法再往一邊偏，特別指那些碰巧而且出了壞事的情況：摔倒、撞車、打翻東西。

From the word’s history

From Latin 'accidere' = to happen, to fall (toward), built from 'ad-' (to) + 'cadere' (to fall) — literally 'to fall upon you', i.e. an event that befalls you rather than one you bring about.

源自拉丁文 accidere，意為「發生、落到（某處）」，由 ad-（向）+ cadere（落下）組成，字面是「落到你身上」——指降臨在你身上、而非你主動造成的事。這正好對上核心畫面：事情自己發生，不是你安排的。

Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), 'accident'

From the picture

碰巧而出了壞事（傷害、損壞）

在「碰巧發生」上多加一層：這次碰巧的結果是有人受傷或東西壞了。核心的「非計畫」還在，只是後果是壞的。

an accident (someone hurt/something damaged) · noun · A2

A time when someone is hurt or something is damaged without anyone meaning it to happen.

意外、事故

用「意外」這個說法去安慰或示警

不是新的一種意外，而是把「這只是碰巧、沒人故意」這個核心拿來當話術——往好處說是安慰，往壞處說是警告。

accidents will happen · noun · A2

Used in a kind way to tell someone not to worry when they have broken or spilt something.

意外難免

Also in this word

an accident (chance event) · noun · A2

A chance event that no one planned or meant to bring about.

偶然發生的事

原始詞典資料18 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

Accidentname

  • 1

    A town in Garrett County, Maryland, United States.

accidentnoun/ˈæk.sɪ.dənt/

  • 1

    An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.

    • to die by an accident such as an act of God
    • Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances, / Of moving accidents by flood and field[…]
  • 2

    lawAn unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.

  • 3

    transportA collision or crash of a vehicle, aircraft, or other form of transportation that causes damage to the transportation involved; and sometimes injury or death to the transportation's occupants or bystanders in close proximity. (but see Usage notes)

    • There was a huge accident on I5 involving 15 automobiles.
    • My insurance went up after the second accident in three months.
  • 4

    Any chance event.

    • He also objects to the idea of women arising by an accident of nature, preferring the notion that they came about as a 'result of some strong mental impression', and so 'the sex of the progeny would have been settled by the decision of the progenitor'.
  • 5

    Chance; random chance.

    • c.1861-1863, Richard Chevenix Trench, in 1888, Letters and memorials, Volume 1, Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident, / It is the very place God meant for thee; […]
    • And so with his writing, which he proudly said was a perfect counterpart of his life. Accident played a major part in both.
  • 6

    Any property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive.

    • Beauty is an accident.
    • Lexical gaps are called accidental because their existence is by accident; it is not essential.
  • 7

    grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsAny property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive.

    • An adjective, so called because adjectitious, or added to a substantive, denotes some quality or accident of the substantive to which it is joined […]
  • 8

    An instance of incontinence.

    • We weren’t there long when Karin asked about our dog. When we told her Chris was in the car, she insisted we bring him up to the apartment. I rejected her offer and said he might have an accident on the carpet and I didn’t want to worry about it.
另外 8 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    An instance of incontinence.

  • 10

    An unintended pregnancy.

  • 11

    derogatoryAn unintended pregnancy.

    • Taylor was our sweet little accident, and we're so glad!
  • 12

    obsoleteAn injury.

    • Accident is a word which too commonly suffers a like perversion. It is used as if it meant a wound.
    • This little manual contains simple directions for the preliminary treatment of accidents to all parts of the body and of such diseases as persons are suddenly seized with.
  • 13

    geographygeologynatural-sciencesAn irregular surface feature with no apparent cause.

  • 14

    geographygeologynatural-sciencesA sudden discontinuity of ground such as fault of great thickness, bed or lentil of unstable ground.

  • 15

    governmentheraldryhobbiesA point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms.

  • 16

    entertainmentlifestylemusicSynonym of accidental.

accidentadj/ˈæk.sɪ.dənt/

  • 1

    transportDesignating any form of transportation involved in an accident.

    • The NTSB report revealed that the accident airplane was a Cessna 172.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。