paraphernalia

[par-uh-fer-neyl-yuh, -fuh-neyl-]

noun

1. (sometimes used with a singular verb),  equipment, apparatus, or furnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity.

   a skier's paraphernalia.

   Synonyms: trappings

2. (used with a plural verb),  personal belongings.

   Synonyms: effects

3. (used with a singular verb),  the personal articles, apart from dower, reserved by law to a married woman.

paraphernalia

/ ˌpærəfəˈneɪlɪə /

plural noun

1. miscellaneous articles or equipment

2. law (formerly) articles of personal property given to a married woman by her husband before or during marriage and regarded in law as her possessions over which she has some measure of control

Other Word Forms

• paraphernalian adjective
• paraphernal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of paraphernalia¹

1470–80; < Medieval Latin paraphernālia ( bona ) a bride's goods, beyond her dowry, equivalent to Late Latin paraphern ( a ) a bride's property (< Greek parápherna, equivalent to para- para- ¹ + phern ( ḗ ) dowry, derivative of phérein to bear ¹ + -a neuter plural noun suffix) + Latin -ālia, noun use of neuter plural of -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of paraphernalia¹

C17: via Medieval Latin from Latin parapherna personal property of a married woman, apart from her dowry, from Greek, from _para- ¹ + phernē dowry, from pherein to carry

Example Sentences

He said drugs, money and other paraphernalia were "buried underground" at Tuthill Quarry, with hidden cameras installed by the gang to monitor the set up.

From BBC

Authorities arrested 56 people and seized 3,500 birds, as well as firearms and drug paraphernalia, during a multi-week cockfighting investigation in San Bernardino County, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Irresistible” might be set in the period we know as the Victorian era, and there are royals and attendant paraphernalia, but lovers of polite courtly romances might want to steer clear.

From Los Angeles Times

In Los Angeles, some injunctions barred people from wearing Dodgers merchandise in Echo Park, the neighborhood where Dodgers Stadium is located, because the baseball team’s jerseys were considered gang paraphernalia.

From Los Angeles Times

But when usage spiked during the pandemic, nitrous oxide manufacturers began selling much larger canisters online – as large as 2kg – and, eventually, in shops selling electronic vapes and other smoking paraphernalia.

From BBC

Related Words

• gear 
• machinery 
• regalia