accessory
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accessory¹
- /əkˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/ US, UK
- /ækˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/ US, UK
- /əˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/ proscribed
Sounds like accessary
Where it comes from
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd
Proto-Italic *ad
Proto-Italic *ad-
Latin ad-
Proto-Italic *kezdō
Latin cēdō
Latin accēdō
Proto-Indo-European *-tōr
Proto-Italic *-tōr
Latin -tor
Latin accessor
Latin -ius
Medieval Latin accessōriusbor.
English accessory
From Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor (“helper, subordinate”), from accessus. Compare access, from same root.
adjective more accessory · most accessory · accessary
- Having a secondary, supplementary or subordinate function by accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; being additional; contributing or being contributory. accessory garments
- Assisting a crime without actually participating in committing the crime itself; being connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal. Her actions were clearly accessory because they helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
- Present in a minor amount, and not essential. accessory mineral
- Supernumerary and generally nonfunctional. She had an accessory finger on one hand.
accessory²
- /əkˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/ US, UK
- /ækˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/ US, UK
- /əˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/ proscribed
Sounds like accessary
Where it comes from
From Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor (“helper, subordinate”), from accessus. Compare access, from same root.
noun accessories · accessary
- Something that belongs to part of another main thing; something additional and subordinate, an attachment. the accessories of a mobile phone
- An article that completes one's basic outfit, such as a scarf or gloves. One of the first of a wave of American women contemporary designers who emerged in the 1990s, she [Kate Spade] built a brand on the appeal of clothes and accessories that made shoppers smile.
- A person who is not present at a crime, but contributes to it as an assistant or instigator. She was an accessory to the murder because she helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
- Something in a work of art without being indispensably necessary, for example solely ornamental parts.
Similar: addition, attachment, supplement
