accoutrement

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accoutrement

/əˈku.tɚ.mənt/ US
/əˈku.t͡ʃɹə.mənt/ US

Where it comes from

Probably partly from Middle French accoustrement, acoustrement, acoutrement (French accoutrement), from accoustrer, from Old French acostrer (“arrange, sew up”), and partly from accoutre + -ment. First attested in the 1540s.

noun accoutrements · accouterment

in plural A soldier's equipment, other than weapons and uniform. Thus One / Jovial his Mate bespoke; O Friend, observe, / How gay with all th'Accoutrements of War / The Britons come, with Gold well fraught they come
in plural An article of clothing or equipment, in particular when used as an accessory. To me ſhe's married, not vnto my cloathes: / Could I repaire what ſhe will weare in me, / As I can change theſe poore accoutrements, / 'Twere well for Kate, and better for my ſelfe.
Similar: equipment, gear, trappings, accessory
broadly An identifying yet superficial characteristic. By the summer of 1964 they had achieved the bigger house on the better street and the familiar accouterments of a family on its way up: the $30,000 a year, the three children for the Christmas card, the picture window, the family room, […]
archaic The act of accoutering; furnishing.

Translations

Every language

noun trappings

Français	accoutrement
Deutsch	Ausstaffierung

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MLA

"accoutrement." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/accoutrement. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

accoutrement. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/accoutrement

Chicago

"accoutrement." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/accoutrement.

BibTeX

@misc{accoutrement_2026,
  title = {accoutrement},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/accoutrement},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}