Adventitious Meaning and Definition
Adventitious
Pronunciation
/adxvɛnˈtɪʃəs/
Part of Speech
Noun
Definition
A plant that grows adventitiously, specifically, a plant that grows on or from another plant but is not necessarily parasitic.
Examples
- The ferns sprouted adventitiously from the cracks in the sidewalk.
- The vine grew adventitiously up the nearby tree.
- The creeping ivy grew adventitiously across the garden path.
Etymology
The word “adventitious” comes from the Latin “adventitius”, meaning “accidental” or “incidental”, which is derived from the verb “advenire”, meaning “to come to” or “to arrive”.
Usage Notes
Adventitious is often used to describe plants that grow near or on another plant, but are not necessarily parasitic or dependent on the host plant for survival.
Cultural References
Adventitious plants are often featured in science fiction and fantasy stories as a symbol of unexpected growth or resilience.
Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases
There are no common idiomatic expressions or phrases that use the word “adventitious”.
Related Words or Phrases
- Epiphyte: a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic
- Parasite: a plant that grows on another plant and is dependent on it for survival
- Epiphyll: a plant that grows on the leaves of another plant
Collocations
- growing adventitiously
- plant grows adventitiously
- adventitious roots
Frequency of Use
Adventitious is a relatively rare word in modern language, and is often used by botanists and horticulturists to describe specific types of plant growth.
Common Misspellings
- diventitious
- adventistious