Definition of ACCIDENTAL

accidental

Meanings

Plural: accidentals

Noun

  • a musical notation that makes a note sharp or flat or natural although that is not part of the key signature
  • A property which is not essential; a nonessential; anything happening accidentally.
  • 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.
  • A sharp, flat, or natural, occurring not at the commencement of a piece of music as the signature, but before a particular note.
  • Part of a text that has a mainly structural purpose, such as spelling, punctuation, or capitalization.

Adjective Satellite

  • happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally
    • "accidental poisoning"
    • "an accidental shooting"

Adj

  • Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
  • Pertaining to accident and not essence; thus, inessential; incidental; secondary.
  • Nonessential to something's inherent nature (especially in Aristotelian thought).
  • Adjusted by one or two semitones, in temporary departure from the key signature.
  • Occurring sometimes, by chance; occasional.
  • Happening by chance, or unexpectedly; taking place not according to the usual course of things; by accident, unintentional.
  • Being a double point with two distinct tangent planes in 4-dimensional projective space.

Origin / Etymology

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

Scrabble Score: 15

accidental is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
accidental is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
accidental is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

accidental is a valid Words With Friends word