adventitious

Definition

From an external source; not innate or inherent, foreign.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin adventītius (“coming from abroad, extraneous”), a corruption of Latin adventīcius (“foreign, strange, accidental”), from adventus (“arrival, coming, approach, advent”) + -īcius (suffix forming adjectives), from adveniō (“to arrive”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns).

Example Sentences

• "The discovery of the art of making pottery was probably in all cases adventitious, the clay being first used for some other purpose."
• "The adventitious disappearance of those nearer the throne than the duke had, moreover, set tongues awagging."
• "The Velloziaceae have evolved a woody stem which is covered with a layer of adventitious roots mingled with the fibres of the old leaf sheaths;"