Wiktionary

accessory

English

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd
Proto-Italic *ad
Proto-Italic *ad-
Medieval Latin ad-
Proto-Italic *kezdō
Medieval Latin cēdō
Medieval Latin accēdō
Proto-Indo-European *-tōr
Proto-Italic *-tōr
Medieval Latin -tor
Medieval Latin accessor
Medieval Latin -ius
Medieval Latin accessōriusbor.
English accessory

    From Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor (“helper, subordinate”), from accessus.[2] Compare access, from same root.

    Adjective

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    accessory (comparative more accessory, superlative most accessory)

    1. 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][2]
      accessory garments
      Surprise parties succeed with the help of accessory neighbors or colleagues.
    2. (law) Assisting a crime without actually participating in committing the crime itself; being connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal.
      Hypernym: accomplice
      Coordinate term: principal
      Her actions were clearly accessory because they helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
    3. Present in a minor amount, and not essential.
      accessory mineral
    4. (medicine, biology) Supernumerary and generally nonfunctional.
      She had an accessory finger on one hand.
      • 1895, Sir John Bland-Sutton, Evolution and disease, page 113:
        Dichotomy may, not infrequently, affect other digits; thus in fig. 61 a chick is represented with two bifid toes and partial duplicity of the left leg. Birds with these accessory parts may live and attain the adult condition.
      • 1958, Acta Pædiatrica:
        There was an accessory finger present on the ulnar side of each hand.
      • 2010 March 10, Michael Benson, John Fixsen, Malcolm Macnicol, Klausdieter Parsch, Children’s Orthopaedics and Fractures, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 537:
        Duplications and accessory toes can sometimes be simply reduced or removed, but occasionally the skeletal architecture is very complex and careful planning and meticulous surgery are necessary.
    Usage notes
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    • (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).
    Synonyms
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    Translations
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    Etymology 2

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      From Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor (“helper, subordinate”), from accessus.[3][4][5] Compare access, from same root.

      Noun

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      accessory (plural accessories)

      1. Something that belongs to part of another main thing; something additional and subordinate, an attachment.
        the accessories of a mobile phone
      2. (fashion) An article that completes one's basic outfit, such as a scarf or gloves. [from 1896][3]
      3. (law) A person who is not present at a crime, but contributes to it as an assistant or instigator. [from 1414][5]
        She was an accessory to the murder because she helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
        • 2005, Jennifer Worth, Shadows of the Workhouse, Weidenfeld & Nicholson (2009), page 150:
          “You can be an accessory before the fact, or an accessory after the fact. It doesnʼt matter if itʼs before or after; either way youʼd be in for it.”
      4. (art) Something in a work of art without being indispensably necessary, for example solely ornamental parts.
      Synonyms
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      Derived terms
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      Descendants
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      Translations
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      The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
      Translations to be checked

      References

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      1. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20081029043653/http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/accessory.html
      2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “accessory (adj.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
      3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “accessory (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
      4. ^ “accessō̆rie, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
      5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 “accessory, n. and adj.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
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