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
Examples of adventitious in a Sentence
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
Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots.
—
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
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
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Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
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
Cite this Entry
“Adventitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adventitious. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adventitious
adjective
ad·ven·ti·tious
ˌad-(ˌ)ven-ˈtish-əs
-vən-
1
: coming from an outside source and not an essential part : accidental
2
: appearing in other than the usual or normal place
adventitious roots
adventitiously
adverb
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
3
: not congenital
adventitious deafness
adventitiously
adverb
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