appendage

American  

[uh-pen-dij] / əˈpɛn dɪdʒ /

noun

• appendages
  plural

1. a subordinate part attached to something; an auxiliary part; addition.

2. Anatomy, Zoology. any member of the body diverging from the axial trunk.

3. Botany, Mycology. any subsidiary part superadded to another part.

4. a person in a subordinate or dependent position, especially a servile or parasitic follower.

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appendage British  

/ əˈpɛndɪdʒ /

noun

1. an ancillary or secondary part attached to a main part; adjunct

2. zoology any organ that projects from the trunk of animals such as arthropods

3. botany any subsidiary part of a plant, such as a branch or leaf

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• appendaged
  adjective
• unappendaged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• appendages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of appendage

First recorded in 1640–50; append + -age

Explanation

Use the noun appendage to describe something that’s attached to something larger. Your arm is an appendage to your body. Appendage often describes body parts, either on humans or animals. If it’s something that sticks out — like a finger, tail, or leg — chances are it can be called an appendage. The word can also be used figuratively to refer to something that’s associated with something larger or more important, like a husband who’s a mere appendage to his famous wife. In this sense, the word takes on a negative connotation: the appendage is not important.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

appendage appendages

What’s important is understanding how human hands can grasp an object, and then extrapolating that to whatever synthetic appendage has been chosen, she added.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 27, 2025

He played with a small cast on his left hand and was even using that bandaged appendage to stiff-arm defenders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

Part of the cardio growth story is the Watchman product, a small implant that closes the left atrial appendage of patients with atrial fibrillation, or AF.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025

However, with the Pocillopora verrucosa, the appendage was thinner and slower to develop, which could explain the weaker initial attachment.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2025

Though it is a truism to emphasize the stunting of free Greek city life in Hellenistic times, Cyrene in the early third century was no mere political appendage of Alexandria.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

She must operate a control pad to manipulate the appendages of a brain-dead coma patient and take him on a cross-country trip so his mother can say goodbye and legally pull the plug on him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Even the distributor behind this very sequel, 20th Century Studios, was bought, chopped up and consolidated, now functioning as one of Disney’s many appendages.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

"Our study also revealed that the nasal appendages can change quickly in terms of length, shape, and color. Their evolution is possibly driven by the respective preferences of females in mate selection."

From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2025

Mr Teller said the name was also inspired by the distinctive pale "knuckles" on the small leg-like appendages at the side of the spider's mouth.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025

He’d described the way dragons flew, with special appendages on their wings.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• arm
• extremity
• foot
• hand
• leg
• limb