adventitious

Advancedzipf 1.96

Pronunciation

/ˌædvɛnˈtɪʃəs/(ad-ven-TISH-us)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

偶然的；外来的（非固有的）

Definition

Happening by chance rather than design; coming from an external source rather than being inherent.

Word family

  • adventitiously/ˌædvɛnˈtɪʃəsli/(adv)偶然地

Collocations

  • adventitious discovery
  • adventitious roots (botany)
  • adventitious factors
  • adventitious sound (medicine)

Examples

  1. 1.The discovery of penicillin was largely adventitious — Fleming noticed mold killing bacteria by accident. (by chance)
  2. 2.In botany, adventitious roots grow from stems or leaves rather than from the primary root system. (from an external source)

Synonyms

  • fortuitous/fɔːrˈtjuːɪtəs/— happening by lucky chance
  • incidental/ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntəl/— happening alongside
  • extraneous/ɪkˈstreɪniəs/— from outside

Etymology

from Latin "adventitius" — from "advenire" (to come to) — something that comes from outside