accidental

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English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident +‎ -al.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˌæk.sɪ.ˈdɛn.tl̩/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛntəl

Adjective[edit]

accidental (comparative more accidental, superlative most accidental)

  1. Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary. [from 14th c.]
    Hyponym: instantial
    1. (philosophy) Nonessential to something's inherent nature (especially in Aristotelian thought). [from 14th c.]
  2. (music) Adjusted by one or two semitones, in temporary departure from the key signature. [from 16th c.]
  3. Occurring sometimes, by chance; occasional. [from 16th c.]
  4. Happening by chance, or unexpectedly; taking place not according to the usual course of things; by accident, unintentional. [from 16th c.]
    • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, Essays, translation of original in French, III.1:
      The way to trueth is but one and simple, that of particular profit and benefit of affaires a man hath in charge, double, uneven and accidentall [translating fortuite].
  5. (geometry) Being a double point with two distinct tangent planes in 4-dimensional projective space.

Synonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

accidental (plural accidentals)

  1. A property which is not essential; a nonessential; anything happening accidentally.
    • 1662, Fuller, Worthies of England:
      He conceived it just that accidentals ... should sink with the substance of the accusation.
  2. (painting, plural only) Those fortuitous effects produced by luminous rays falling on certain objects so that some parts stand forth in abnormal brightness and other parts are cast into a deep shadow.
  3. (music) A sharp, flat, or natural, occurring not at the commencement of a piece of music as the signature, but before a particular note.
  4. Part of a text that has a mainly structural purpose, such as spelling, punctuation, or capitalization.
    Coordinate term: substantive

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Late Latin accidentālis.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

accidental m or f (masculine and feminine plural accidentals)

  1. accidental

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Fala[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From accidenti +‎ -al.

Adjective[edit]

accidental (plural accidentais)

  1. accidental

Etymology 2[edit]

From accidenti +‎ -al.

Verb[edit]

accidental

  1. to have an accident
Conjugation[edit]

References[edit]

  • Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)[1], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French accidentel.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ak.t͡ʃi.denˈtal/

Adjective[edit]

accidental m or n (feminine singular accidentală, masculine plural accidentali, feminine and neuter plural accidentale)

  1. accidental

Declension[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Scots[edit]

Adjective[edit]

accidental (comparative mair accidental, superlative maist accidental)

  1. accidental

References[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Late Latin accidēntālis.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): (Spain) /aɡθidenˈtal/ [aɣ̞.θi.ð̞ẽn̪ˈt̪al]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America) /aɡsidenˈtal/ [aɣ̞.si.ð̞ẽn̪ˈt̪al]
  • Audio (Venezuela):(file)
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: ac‧ci‧den‧tal

Adjective[edit]

accidental m or f (masculine and feminine plural accidentales)

  1. accidental
  2. nonessential

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Noun[edit]

accidental m (plural accidentales)

  1. (music) accidental
    Synonym: accidente

Further reading[edit]