accidentally-fired
|ac-ci-den-tal-ly-fired|
🇺🇸
/ˌæksɪˈdɛntəli ˈfaɪərd/
🇬🇧
/ˌæksɪˈdɛntəli ˈfaɪəd/
unintentional discharge
Etymology
The word 'accidentally-fired' is a compound formed from 'accidentally' and 'fired.' 'Accidentally' comes from 'accident,' which originates from Latin 'accidens,' meaning 'to happen,' and 'fired' is the past participle of 'fire,' which comes from Old English 'fyr.'
'Accidentally-fired' is a modern English compound, formed by combining the adverb 'accidentally' and the past participle 'fired.' The use of 'fired' to mean 'discharged a weapon' dates back to the 16th century.
Initially, 'fired' simply meant 'to set on fire,' but over time, it evolved to include the meaning of 'discharging a weapon.' The compound 'accidentally-fired' specifically refers to an unintentional discharge.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
describing something (such as a gun or weapon) that has been discharged unintentionally or by accident.
The police officer reported an accidentally-fired weapon during the incident.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/06 02:13