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Dictionary Entry

adventitious

Part of SpeechadjectivePronunciation/ˌæd.vənˈtɪʃ.əs/Word FrequencyUncommon (3.02)Curriculum FrequencyLess common (1)

From an external source; not innate or inherent, foreign.

In a Sentence

The adventitious growth of mold on the wall was caused by excess humidity.

Published Usage Examples

Cuttings are plant pieces, usually stems or branches, capable of growing new roots, called adventitious roots.

Leaf-buds occasionally arise from the roots, when they are called adventitious; this occurs in many fruit trees, poplars, elms and others.

This entry also appears in ReadingWillow Year 12 word lists, so students can move between the dictionary and year-level study sets.

Origin

Late 16th century, from Latin adventicius ‘coming from outside’.

Common Phrases

roots adventitiousbuds adventitiouscircumstances adventitioussounds adventitious. adventitiousroot adventitiousadventitious any

Poetry examples for adventitious

Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.

Poetry examples are still being gathered for this entry. They will appear here once matching poems are available in the library.