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adventitious


Definition of adventitious

adjective

  • happening as a result of an external factor or chance rather than design or inherent nature:adventitious similarities
  • coming from outside; not native:the adventitious population
  • Biology formed accidentally or in an unusual anatomical position:adventitious lobes may appear between the primaries
  • Botany (of a root, shoot, etc.) produced in an unusual part of a plant.

Derivatives

adventitiously

adverb

Origin:

early 17th century: from Latin adventicius 'coming to us from abroad' (from advenire 'arrive') + -ous (see also -itious2)

adventitious in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of adventitious in the US English dictionary
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