incidence

[ in-si-duh ns ]

/ ˈɪn sɪ dəns /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incidence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the rate or range of occurrence or influence of something, especially of something unwanted: the high incidence of heart disease in men over 40.

a falling upon, affecting, or befalling; occurrence: The incidence of murder that Sunday afternoon shocked the sleepy village.

Optics, Physics.

the striking of a ray of light, beam of electrons, etc., on a surface, or the direction of striking.
angle of incidence(def 1).

the fact or the manner of being incident.

Geometry. partial coincidence of two figures, as of a line and a plane containing it.

Nearby words

Origin of incidence

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Late Latin word incidentia. See incident, -ence

Can be confusedincidence incidents incidental

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incidence

And without a concrete way to measure the incidence of domestic violence, it is purely observational.
Another Hazy Week For Weed|Abby Haglage|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, since the 1970s, our yearly sugar consumption has skyrocketed along with the incidence of diabetes and obesity.
The Heart Association’s Junk Science Diet|Dr. Barbara H. Roberts|May 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This would push food prices up internationally, raising the incidence of hunger, disease and political instability.
Can Generation Hot Avoid Its Fate?|Mark Hertsgaard|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Does any Indian believe that we will, come Friday, see even a drop in the incidence of rape?
When India Wants the Rapists Hanged|Dilip D’Souza|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Only with a regime like that will we see their incidence decrease.
RG-Knee: Stoopid Stoopid Stoopid|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Angle of Incidence, Rigger's—The angle the chord of a surface makes with a line parallel to the axis of the propeller.
The Aeroplane Speaks|H. Barber
It was not uncomfortably and unchangeably cut into fixed portions by the incidence of lunch and dinner.
The Lion's Share|E. Arnold Bennett
The developments that take place are mainly mental in form and are social in their incidence.
A Grammar of Freethought|Chapman Cohen
If its Incidence be made still more oblique, it becomes totally reflected.
Opticks|Isaac Newton
The incidence among children under three years of age was 60 percent, and 1,712 children under age fifteen died.
Area Handbook for Albania|Eugene K. Keefe

British Dictionary definitions for incidence

incidence

/ (ˈɪnsɪdəns) /

noun

degree, extent, or frequency of occurrence; amounta high incidence of death from pneumonia

the act or manner of impinging on or affecting by proximity or influence

physics the arrival of a beam of light or particles at a surfaceSee also angle of incidence

geometry the partial coincidence of two configurations, such as a point that lies on a circle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for incidence

incidence

early 15c., "incidental matter," from Middle French incidence (15c.), from Late Latin incidentia (see incident (n.)). Meaning "act of coming into contact with" is from 1650s; sense in physics is from 1620s.

Medicine definitions for incidence

incidence

[ ĭn′sĭ-dəns ]

n.

The extent or rate of occurrence, especially the number of new cases of a disease in a population over a period of time.

The arrival of radiation or a projectile at a surface.

Related formsin′ci•dent adj.

incidence

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of incidence

Examples from the Web for incidence

incidence

noun

incidence

incidence

n.