auxiliary

[ awg-zil-yuh-ree, -zil-uh- ]

adjective

1. additional; supplementary; reserve:

   an auxiliary police force.

2. used as a substitute or reserve in case of need:

   The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of a blackout.

   Synonyms: secondary, ancillary, backup

3. (of a boat) having an engine that can be used to supplement the sails:

   an auxiliary yawl.

4. giving support; serving as an aid; helpful:

   The mind and emotions are auxiliary to each other. Passion is auxiliary to art.

noun

, plural aux·il·ia·ries.

1. a person or thing that gives aid of any kind; helper.

   Synonyms: help, assistant, ally, aide

2. an organization allied with, but subsidiary to, a main body of restricted membership, especially one composed of members' relatives:

   The men's club and the ladies' auxiliary were merged into one organization.

3. auxiliary verb.
4. auxiliaries, foreign troops in the service of a nation at war.
5. Navy. a naval vessel designed for other than combat purposes, as a tug, supply ship, or transport.
6. Nautical. a sailing vessel carrying an auxiliary propulsion engine or engines.

auxiliary

/ ɔːɡˈzɪljərɪ; -ˈzɪlə- /

adjective

1. secondary or supplementary
2. supporting
3. nautical (of a sailing vessel) having an engine

   an auxiliary sloop

noun

1. a person or thing that supports or supplements; subordinate or assistant
2. nautical
   1. a sailing vessel with an engine
   2. the engine of such a vessel
3. navy a vessel such as a tug, hospital ship, etc, not used for combat

Word History and Origins

Origin of auxiliary¹

1595–1605; < Latin auxiliārius assisting, aiding, helping, equivalent to auxili ( um ) aid, help ( aux ( us ) increased, augmented (past participle of augēre: aug- increase + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix) + -ilium noun suffix) + -ārius -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of auxiliary¹

C17: from Latin auxiliārius bringing aid, from auxilium help, from augēre to increase, enlarge, strengthen

Example Sentences

Yet their ability to create layups and open threes in transition helps keep auxiliary scoring options involved, and both are capable of drawing double teams and finding the open man.

From Washington Post

The app would help enrol and deploy the 154,000 auxiliary nurse midwives for delivering the vaccine, according to the health ministry’s plan.

From Quartz

For the Great American Beer Festival, which regularly draws 60,000 people to Denver, organizers pivoted to a virtual event this year after their usual home was designated an auxiliary field hospital.

From Fortune

The former auxiliaries are now fully fleshed-out character brands and the marketing cornerstones of billion-dollar franchises.

From FiveThirtyEight

Context has always been an auxiliary marketing tool – creating demand, brand, remarketing.

From Search Engine Watch

We retooled music, which sounds sort of small and auxiliary, but I think we figured out a way to help the audience.

From The Daily Beast

None of this will be easily accomplished, and America has only an auxiliary role.

From The Daily Beast

General Monet operated in the north against the rebels with Spanish and native auxiliary forces.

From Project Gutenberg

The stars were auxiliary lights, and had all been specially, and at the same time, created for the good of man.

From Project Gutenberg

In Preston we have three churches, besides an auxiliary chapel, wherein priests of the Jesuit order labour.

From Project Gutenberg

She behaved nobly, but with her small auxiliary steam power she could scarcely hold her own.

From Project Gutenberg

For a very long period the schools in connection with St. Mary's have formed an excellent auxiliary of the church.

From Project Gutenberg