The quality of being accidental; accidental manner or nature.
A theory or belief which proposes that events occur as a result of chance or contingency, and are not preordained or attributable to a single definite cause.
((n.) Accidental character or effect.)
noun
1.
a system of medicine based on the symptoms of a disease, disregarding its origin or cause.
2.
Philosophy. any theory holding that some events have no causes.
Origin:
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in John Ruskin (1819–1900), art critic and social critic. From accidental + -ism.