Incidental

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnsɪˈdɛntəl/

Definitions

1. Occurring as a minor accompaniment to something else rather than being a main feature or purpose
2. Happening as a secondary element or by chance alongside a primary situation without being essential or intentional
3. Arising from or related to an event in a supplementary manner that is not the focus or intended outcome

Etymology: "Incidental" is built from "incident" plus the suffix "-al", so its history depends largely on the older word. "Incident" comes from Latin "incidere", meaning "to fall upon" or "to happen", formed from "in" ("on") and "cadere" ("to fall"). The sense of an occurrence that falls upon or accompanies something is the thread running through the whole family of words. The suffix "-al" has a long journey of its own. It descends from Latin "-ālis", which turned adjectives from nouns into the sense "relating to" or "pertaining to". It reached English by way of Old French "-el" and "-al", and Middle English adopted it freely, so that English speakers could attach it to almost any noun. "Incidental" therefore means, literally, "relating to an incident." That literal sense is still visible in the modern meaning, "happening alongside something" or "occurring as a minor accompaniment." Something incidental is secondary to the main event, the thing that falls along with it rather than being its purpose.

Synonyms: secondary, minor, unimportant, accessory, ancillary

Antonyms: essential, important, primary, main, critical