adventitious
adjective
ad·ven·ti·tious ˌad-(ˌ)ven-ˈti-shəs 
-vən-
1
: coming from another source and not inherent or innate
a Federal house without adventitious later additions
adventitious influences
2
: arising or occurring sporadically or in other than the usual location
adventitious roots
adventitiously adverb
Did you know?
Adventitious comes from Latin adventīcius, meaning "coming from outside," which, in turn, is from advenīre, "to arrive." The verb is the source of other English words, including advent, adventure, and avenue.
Synonyms
- accidental
- alien
- external
- extraneous
- extrinsic
- foreign
- supervenient
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the point of view that art should be for art's sake and that moral considerations are adventitious to the study of art
Recent Examples on the Web Plant Deep — Really Deep Tomatoes have the ability to produce roots off their stems, known as adventitious roots. 
Margaret Roach, New York Times, 12 May 2020 This can also occur when trees are planted too deep, as adventitious (growing sideways from the stem) roots grow against the stem and squeeze the sapwood. Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2019
Margaret Roach, New York Times, 12 May 2020 This can also occur when trees are planted too deep, as adventitious (growing sideways from the stem) roots grow against the stem and squeeze the sapwood. Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2019 Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin adventīcius "coming from outside, external, foreign," from adventus, past participle of advenīre "to arrive, approach" + -īcius -itious — more at advent
First Known Use
1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
adventitious
adjective
ad·ven·ti·tious -əs
1
a
: arising sporadically or in other than the usual location
an adventitious part in embryonic development
b
: occurring spontaneously or accidentally in a country or region to which it is not native
an adventitious insect
2
: adventitial
3
: not congenital
adventitious deafness
adventitious
adjective
as in extrinsic
not being a vital part of or belonging to something the point of view that art should be for art's sake and that moral considerations are adventitious to the study of art Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- extrinsic
- extraneous
- accidental
- irrelevant
- external
- alien
- foreign
- supervenient
- unnecessary
- exterior
- unessential
- inapplicable
- immaterial
- nonessential
- insignificant
- outside
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- intrinsic
- inherent
- innate
- congenital
- inborn
- internal
- inbred
- basic
- necessary
- interior
- essential
- deep-seated
- inside
- overcapitalise
- overcapitalised
- overcapitalises
- overcapitalising
- overcapitalization
- overcapitalizations
- overcapitalize
- overcapitalized
- overcapitalizes
- overcapitalizing
- overcareful
- overcarefully
- overcarried
- overcarries
- overcarry
- overcarrying
- overcast
- overcast stitch
- overcasted
- overcaster
- overcasting
- overcastings
- overcasts
- overcatch
- overcatches