incident

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A definite and separate occurrence; an event. See Synonyms at occurrence.
2. n. A usually minor event or condition that is subordinate to another.
3. n. Something contingent on or related to something else.
4. n. An occurrence or event that interrupts normal procedure or precipitates a crisis: an international incident.
5. adj. Tending to arise or occur as a result or accompaniment: "There is a professional melancholy . . . incident to the occupation of a tailor” ( Charles Lamb).
6. adj. Related to or dependent on another thing.
7. adj. Physics Falling upon or striking a surface: incident radiation.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Falling or striking upon something, as a ray of light or a projectile; impinging or acting upon anything from without.
2. Likely to happen; apt to occur; hence, naturally appertaining; necessarily conjoined.
3. Appertaining to or following another thing; conjoined as a subordinate to a principal thing; appurtenant: as, rent is incident to a reversion.
4. Subordinate; casual; incidental.
5. n. That which falls out or takes place; an occurrence; something which takes place in connection with an event or a series of events of greater importance.
6. n. A thing necessarily or frequently depending upon, appertaining to, or legally passing with another that is the principal or more important; a natural or characteristic accompaniment.
7. n. In decorative art, the representation of any action, often much conventionalized, but still to be recognized: thus, a frieze may consist of a number of incidents relating collectively some historical event. Synonyms Occurrence, Circumstance, etc. See event.
8. Same as afferent
9. : noting the nerves which convey impressions from the periphery to the nervous centers.

Wiktionary

1. n. An event or occurrence.
2. n. A relatively minor event that is incidental to, or related to others
3. n. An event that may cause or causes an interruption or a crisis
4. n. In safety, an incident of workplace illness or injury
5. adj. Arising as the result of an event, inherent
6. adj. physics (of a stream of particles or radiation) falling on or striking a surface (e.g. "The incident light illuminated the surface.")

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Falling or striking upon, as a ray of light upon a reflecting surface.
2. adj. Coming or happening accidentally; not in the usual course of things; not in connection with the main design; not according to expectation; casual; fortuitous.
3. adj. Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.
4. adj. (Law) Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.
5. n. That which falls out or takes place; an event; casualty; occurrence.
6. n. That which happens aside from the main design; an accidental or subordinate action or event.
7. n. (Law) Something appertaining to, passing with, or depending on, another, called the principal.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. (sometimes followed by `to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence
2. n. a public disturbance
3. n. a single distinct event
4. adj. falling or striking of light rays on something