accessory

[ ak-ses-uh-ree ]

noun

, plural ac·ces·so·ries.

1. a subordinate or supplementary part, object, or the like, used mainly for convenience, attractiveness, safety, etc., as a spotlight on an automobile or a lens cover on a camera.
2. an article or set of articles of dress, as gloves, earrings, or a scarf, that adds completeness, convenience, attractiveness, etc., to one's basic outfit.
3. Law.
   1. Also called accessory before the fact. a person who, though not present during the commission of a felony, is guilty of having aided and abetted another, who committed the felony.
   2. Also called accessory after the fact. a person who knowingly conceals or assists another who has committed a felony. Compare principal ( def 9b ).

   Synonyms: accomplice

4. Anatomy. accessory nerve.

adjective

1. contributing to a general effect; supplementary; subsidiary.
2. Law. giving aid as an accessory.

accessory

/ ˌæksɛˈsɔːrɪəl; əkˈsɛsərɪ /

noun

1. a supplementary part or object, as of a car, appliance, etc
2. often plural a small accompanying item of dress, esp of women's dress
3. a person who incites someone to commit a crime or assists the perpetrator of a crime, either before or during its commission

adjective

1. supplementary; additional; subordinate
2. assisting in or having knowledge of an act, esp a crime

Derived Forms

• acˈcessoriness, noun
• accessorial, adjective
• acˈcessorily, adverb

Other Words From

• ac·ces·so·ri·ly adverb
• ac·ces·so·ri·ness noun
• in·ter·ac·ces·so·ry adjective
• non·ac·ces·so·ry adjective noun plural nonaccessories

Word History and Origins

Origin of accessory¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English accessorie (from Middle French ), from Medieval Latin accessōrius. See accede, -tory ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of accessory¹

C17: from Late Latin accessōrius: see access

Synonym Study

See addition.

Example Sentences

Wheel spacersWheel spacers are less common, but they’re still a useful and affordable accessory that can make your ATV more stable and less susceptible to getting stuck.

From Popular-Science

Yet perhaps the most important accessory of all is a graphing calculator.

From Popular-Science

The company is working on a feature for the new remote similar to Find My iPhone that would make the TV accessory easier to find.

From Fortune

Faulconer’s administration, for instance, argues it has already started dismantling the basis of single-family zoning in recent years by making it easier to build accessory units, or granny flats, on single-family lots.

From Voice of San Diego

At the same time, marketers have an opportunity to take that excitement and affinity for their products and convert those customers again into things like add-ons and accessories.

From Search Engine Land

For the dapper gent whose favorite accessory is a strong cocktail.

From The Daily Beast

The wrestling worthy accessory is a bit of a misnomer—there is no cheekily exposed skin in this full-coverage contraption.

From The Daily Beast

Now, one music festival is taking their stance a step further by placing a ban on the questionable accessory.

From The Daily Beast

A shift to the accessory position would have also caused the power steering to suddenly quit.

From The Daily Beast

Adoption of the accessory has even spawned its own fashion subculture.

From The Daily Beast

A valuable accessory to narration is description; in truth, description for its own sake is not frequently found.

From Project Gutenberg

Madame d'Infreville understood and appreciated her friend's generosity in thus making herself an accessory to the deed.

From Project Gutenberg

At the November term Joseph was convicted as accessory and sentenced to share the same fate.

From Project Gutenberg

And it is accordingly by adverbs, and accessory adjectives, that the degrees of comparison are expressed.

From Project Gutenberg

So that in France, as in England, the burden of interest was laid no longer upon the art, but upon an accessory circumstance.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adornment
• appliance
• component
• decoration