Negligence
Etymology
From Latin negligentia, "carelessness, heedlessness," from neglegere, "to disregard, to not pick up" (neg-, "not," + legere, "to gather, to choose"). The literal image is of failing to pick something up or attend to it. Tort law made it precise: a breach of the duty of care that a reasonable person would have observed.
noun · /NEG-lih-jents/
Failure to take the care that a reasonable person would take, causing harm to someone else.
What it names
The standard a jury weighs in most accident cases — not whether harm was intended, but whether someone was careless.
Example
The bridge collapse was blamed on the contractor’s negligence in skipping the required inspections.
Related idea
Negligence is carelessness; mens rea covers the deliberate guilty intent required for most crimes, a higher bar than mere failure to be careful.