/ ˈæksɪdəns; NAmE / noun
[ U ] ( old-fashioned ) the part of grammar that deals with the inflections of words (= changes in their form according to their function in the sentence)
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WORD ORIGIN
early 16th cent.: from late Latin accidentia (translation of Greek parepomena things happening alongside), neuter plural of the present participle of accidere happenfrom ad- towards, to + cadere to fall.