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accidental

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accidental


  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Accidental  \Ac`ci*den"tal\,  a.  [Cf.  F.  accidentel  earlier 
  accidental.] 
  1.  Happening  by  chance,  or  unexpectedly;  taking  place  not 
  according  to  the  usual  course  of  things  casual; 
  fortuitous;  as  an  accidental  visit. 
 
  2.  Nonessential;  not  necessary  belonging;  incidental;  as  are 
  accidental  to  a  play. 
 
  {Accidental  chords}  (Mus.),  those  which  contain  one  or  more 
  tones  foreign  to  their  proper  harmony. 
 
  {Accidental  colors}  (Opt.),  colors  depending  on  the 
  hypersensibility  of  the  retina  of  the  eye  for 
  complementary  colors.  They  are  purely  subjective 
  sensations  of  color  which  often  result  from  the 
  contemplation  of  actually  colored  bodies. 
 
  {Accidental  point}  (Persp.),  the  point  in  which  a  right  line 
  drawn  from  the  eye,  parallel  to  a  given  right  line  cuts 
  the  perspective  plane;  so  called  to  distinguish  it  from 
  the  principal  point,  or  point  of  view,  where  a  line  drawn 
  from  the  eye  perpendicular  to  the  perspective  plane  meets 
  this  plane. 
 
  {Accidental  lights}  (Paint.),  secondary  lights;  effects  of 
  light  other  than  ordinary  daylight,  such  as  the  rays  of 
  the  sun  darting  through  a  cloud,  or  between  the  leaves  of 
  trees;  the  effect  of  moonlight,  candlelight,  or  burning 
  bodies.  --Fairholt. 
 
  Syn:  Casual;  fortuitous;  contingent;  occasional; 
  adventitious. 
 
  Usage:  {Accidental},  {Incidental},  {Casual},  {Fortuitous}, 
  {Contingent}.  We  speak  of  a  thing  as  accidental  when 
  it  falls  out  as  by  chance,  and  not  in  the  regular 
  course  of  things  as  an  accidental  meeting,  an 
  accidental  advantage,  etc  We  call  a  thing  incidental 
  when  it  falls,  as  it  were  into  some  regular  course  of 
  things  but  is  secondary,  and  forms  no  essential  part 
  thereof;  as  an  incremental  remark,  an  incidental 
  evil,  an  incidental  benefit.  We  speak  of  a  thing  as 
  casual,  when  it  falls  out  or  happens,  as  it  were  by 
  mere  chance,  without  being  prearranged  or 
  premeditated;  as  a  casual  remark  or  encounter;  a 
  casual  observer.  An  idea  of  the  unimportant  is 
  attached  to  what  is  casual.  Fortuitous  is  applied  to 
  what  occurs  without  any  known  cause  and  in  opposition 
  to  what  has  been  foreseen;  as  a  fortuitous  concourse 
  of  atoms.  We  call  a  thing  contingent  when  it  is  such 
  that  considered  in  itself  it  may  or  may  not  happen, 
  but  is  dependent  for  its  existence  on  something  else; 
  as  the  time  of  my  coming  will  be  contingent  on 
  intelligence  yet  to  be  received. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Accidental  \Ac`ci*den"tal\,  n. 
  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.  --Fuller. 
 
  2.  pl  (Paint.)  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.  (Mus.)  A  sharp,  flat,  or  natural,  occurring  not  at  the 
  commencement  of  a  piece  of  music  as  the  signature,  but 
  before  a  particular  note. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  accidental 
  adj  1:  associated  by  chance  and  not  an  integral  part  "poetry  is 
  something  to  which  words  are  the  accidental,  not  by 
  any  means  the  essential  form"-  Frederick  W.  Robertson 
  "they  had  to  decide  whether  his  misconduct  was 
  adventitious  or  the  result  of  a  flaw  in  his  character" 
  [syn:  {adventitious}] 
  2:  occurring  or  appearing  or  singled  out  by  chance;  "their 
  accidental  meeting  led  to  a  renewal  of  their  friendship"; 
  "seek  help  from  casual  passers-by";  "a  casual  meeting";  "a 
  chance  occurrence"  [syn:  {casual},  {chance(a)}] 
  3:  without  intention;  especially  resulting  from  heedless 
  action  "with  an  inadvertent  gesture  she  swept  the  vase 
  off  the  table";  "accidental  poisoning";"an  accidental 
  shooting"  [syn:  {inadvertent}] 
  n  :  a  notation  that  makes  a  note  sharp  or  flat  or  natural 
  although  that  is  not  part  of  the  key  signature 




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