Accessory
English
Alternative forms
Transliteration Pronunciation
- Katakana: アクセサリー (akusesarī)
- Hangul: 액세서리 (aek-se-seo-ri)
- Anglo-Saxon Runes: ᚪᚳᛋᛖᛋᚪᚱᛁ (ə-k-s-e-s-ə-r-i) / ᚫᚳᛋᛖᛋᚪᚱᛁ (æ-k-s-e-s-ə-r-i)
Etymology 1
From Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor ("helper, subordinate"), from accessus. Compare access, from the same root.
Adjective
accessory (comparative more accessory, superlative most accessory)
- Having a secondary, supplementary or subordinate function by accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; being additional; contributing or being contributory. (from 1550s)
- (legal) Assisting a crime without actually participating in committing the crime itself; being connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal.
- (medicine, biology) Supernumerary and generally nonfunctional.
Usage notes
- (sense: secondary, supplementary) Said of things and actions, very rarely of people (and then usually in a humorous version of the legal sense, or due to confusion between the noun and the adjective).
Etymology 2
From Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor ("helper, subordinate"), from accessus. Compare access, from the same root.
Noun
accessory (plural accessories)
- Something that belongs to part of another main thing; something additional and subordinate, an attachment.
- the accessories of a mobile phone
- (fashion) An article that completes one's basic outfit, such as a scarf or gloves. (from 1896)
- (legal) A person who is not present at a crime, but contributes to it as an assistant or instigator. (from 1414)
- She was an accessory to the murder because she helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
- (art) Something in a work of art without being indispensably necessary, for example solely ornamental parts.