accidentally
UK[ˌæksɪˈdentəli]US[ˌæksəˈdentəli]
adv
In a way that happens by chance or without intention.
adv
As a secondary or unintended consequence.
Morpheme Breakdown
accident
al
ly
accident
al
ly
Etymology
The word 'accidentally' tells a story of unforeseen events, descending from the Latin verb accidere, meaning 'to fall to, befall, or happen'. This verb itself is a compound of ad- ('to, towards') and cadere ('to fall'), painting a vivid picture of an event 'falling upon' someone. Over time, the present participle accidēns evolved into the English noun 'accident', denoting a chance event or mishap. The subsequent addition of the adjectival suffix -al and the adverbial suffix -ly transformed this concept into the modern adverb, describing an action performed not by design, but as if by an unforeseen 'fall' of circumstance.
Analysis
Structure: accident + al + ly
- accident: From Latin accidēns (present participle of accidere 'to happen, befall'), from ad- 'to' + cadere 'to fall'. Functions as the core noun root.
- al: From Latin -ālis, an adjectival suffix. Functions to form the adjective 'accidental'.
- ly: From Old English -līċe, an adjectival suffix forming adverbs. Functions to form the adverb from the adjective.
Examples
She accidentally deleted the important file.
The discovery of penicillin was made accidentally.
He bumped into me accidentally while turning around.