The discovery of a fossilized leaf was incidental to the main excavation, which focused on ancient pottery shards.
发现一片叶子化石只是主要发掘工作的附带成果，该发掘主要关注古代陶器碎片。
Which choice best defines “incidental”?
D — Happening as a minor part of something else. “incidental” means happening as a minor part of something else.
Which word means “happening as a minor part of something else”?
C — incidental. “incidental” means happening as a minor part of something else.
incidental — happening as a minor part of something else. In Chinese: 附带的.
incidental is pronounced /ˌɪnsɪˈdɛntl/.
The discovery of a fossilized leaf was incidental to the main excavation, which focused on ancient pottery shards. (发现一片叶子化石只是主要发掘工作的附带成果，该发掘主要关注古代陶器碎片。)
secondary, minor, subsidiary — all close in meaning to incidental (happening as a minor part of something else).
essential, primary — each the opposite of incidental (happening as a minor part of something else).
Yes. incidental is on the SAT Prep Difficult list — the higher-register words that decide the hard questions. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.