Etymology From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident + -al.
1
Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
2
Human sciences, Philosophy, Sciences Nonessential to something's inherent nature (especially in Aristotelian thought).
3
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Adjusted by one or two semitones, in temporary departure from the key signature.
4
Occurring sometimes, by chance; occasional.
5
Happening by chance, or unexpectedly; taking place not according to the usual course of things; by accident, unintentional.
The discovery was purely accidental.
He was killed by an accidental gunshot.
4 more examples
accidental damage
accidental death
entirely accidental
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].1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, Essays, translation of original in French, III.1:
6
Geometry, Mathematics, Sciences Being a double point with two distinct tangent planes in 4-dimensional projective space.
Etymology From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident + -al.
1
A property which is not essential; a nonessential; anything happening accidentally.
He conceived it just that accidentals ... should sink with the substance of the accusation.1662, Fuller, Worthies of England:
2
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
Entertainment, Lifestyle, 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.