adj. Not inherent or essential; derived from something outside. [From Latin adscītus, past participle of adscīscere, to adopt : ad-, ad- + scīscere, to accept, inchoative of scīre, to know; see skei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.