Etymologically
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accidentalis

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 23 October 2026 at 10:48. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ak.kɪ.deːnˈtaː.lɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [at.t͡ʃi.denˈtaː.lis][1]

Forms

accidēntālis (neuter accidēntāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin accidēns (“a non-essential attribute”) + -ālis, made from the philosophers' noun for what happens to a thing without belonging to its nature.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first author is Marius Victorinus, who in his work on rhetoric opposes a thing that is substantial to one that is accidental.[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin philosophy and theology it meant “belonging to the accidents, not to the essence”: a text cited under Augustine says that some names belong to God in himself and are substantial, others only in relation to us and are accidental,[2][4] and Boethius, in his commentary on Porphyry, uses it and the adverb accidentāliter.[2]

Scholastic writers used it constantly in this sense, and also for what is acquired or secondary rather than natural.[5][6] In ordinary medieval use it came to mean “happening by chance, incidental”, as in a letter in the correspondence of Thomas Becket.[7][8][6] Astrologers used it of a planetary house, and the neuter served as a noun for incidents and accidental circumstances.[7] Italian accidentale comes from it,[3] and English accidental, first “non-essential”, comes from it directly or through Old French.[9]

Timeline

  • first half of 4th century AD – Marius Victorinus opposes the accidental to the substantial.[2][3][4]
  • 354–430 AD – Köbler records it in Augustine.[4][2]
  • before 1162 – A letter in Becket's correspondence uses it of chance friends.[7]
  • 13th century – Albertus Magnus uses it in scholastic philosophy.[5][4]
  • c. 1290 – The law book Fleta uses it as a noun, “incidental matters”.[7][4]
  • late 14th century – English accidental is taken from it or from Old French.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (philosophy) Belonging to the accidents, not to the essence; non-essential.[2][5][7]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Acquired, secondary, not natural.[5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Happening by chance, incidental, unforeseen.[8][7][6]
  4. (Medieval Latin, astrology) Of a planetary house: ruling.[7]

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) An incident, an accidental circumstance.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com