accidentale

Accidentale is an Italian adjective meaning “accidental” or “incidental.” It is used to describe events, facts, or properties that occur by chance or are not essential to the thing described.

Etymology and grammar: Accidentale derives from Latin accidentalis, from accidens (the present participle of accidere, to happen). In Italian it agrees with the noun in gender and number: accidentale (masculine/feminine, singular), accidentali (plural). The adverb meaning “accidentally” is accidentalmente. Examples include: un evento accidentale (an accidental event) and una coincidenza accidentale (an incidental coincidence).

Philosophical usage: In scholastic and later philosophical discourse, accidentale denotes predicates that can belong to a thing without altering its essential nature. For example, color or location are considered accidentale properties; a statue remains the same thing even if its color changes.

Other uses: In general Italian, accidentale describes something not planned or intended, similar to casual or fortuito. In music, the Italian terminology for pitch-altering signs is usually alterazione, while the English term “accidental” is the common label in musical notation. Consequently, accidentale is not typically used as a standard technical term in Italian music theory.