: 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
adventitiouslyadverb
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.
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 WebPlant 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
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