ACCIACCATURA
Ac*ciac`ca*tu"ra, n. Etym: [It., from acciaccare to crush.] (Mus.)
Defn: A short grace note, one semitone below the note to which it is prefixed; — used especially in organ music. Now used as equivalent to the short appoggiatura.
ACCIDENCE Ac"ci*dence, n. Etym: [A corruption of Eng. accidents, pl. of accident. See Accident, 2.]
1. The accidents, of inflections of words; the rudiments of grammar. Milton.
2. The rudiments of any subject. Lowell.
ACCIDENT Ac"ci*dent, n. Etym: [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. Of moving accidents by flood and field. Shak. Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee. Trench.
2. (Gram.)
Defn: A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, as gender, number, case.
3. (Her.)