adventitious
Americanadjective
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associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part; extrinsic.
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Botany, Zoology. appearing in an abnormal or unusual position or place, as a root.
adjective
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added or appearing accidentally or unexpectedly
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(of a plant or animal part) developing in an abnormal position, as a root that grows from a stem
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of adventitious
1595–1605; < Latin adventīcius literally, coming from without, external, equivalent to ad- ad- + ven- (stem of venīre to come) + -t ( us ) past participle suffix + -īcius -itious
Explanation
Adventitious is a word you use to talk about things that "just kind of happen," not because you are trying to do them, but because they just come along. Christopher Columbus's stumbling upon the Caribbean while searching for a new route to India was adventitious. When you make an adventitious rhyme while speaking, you might hear, "You're a poet, you didn't know it, your long feet show it."
Vocabulary lists containing adventitious
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Great Gatsby
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Society and Solitude
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
IAA is used as a rooting hormone to promote growth of adventitious roots on cuttings and detached leaves.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Some plants, however, also have adventitious roots, which emerge above the ground from the shoot.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Williams’s radiant sound and adventitious origins have made her a key figure in a diverse dawn for the solo guitar.
From New York Times • Apr. 28, 2021
But the most adventitious source of revenue was the North Sea – a source to which one Thatcherite would refer as "what we are using to finance unemployment".
From The Guardian • Apr. 20, 2013
Like strawberries, peach palm throws out adventitious shoots.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
