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definitions

annex

[verb uh-neks, an-eks; noun an-eks, -iks]
See more synonyms for annex on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to attach, append, or add, especially to something larger or more important.
  2. to incorporate (territory) into the domain of a city, country, or state: Germany annexed part of Czechoslovakia.
  3. to take or appropriate, especially without permission.
  4. to attach as an attribute, condition, or consequence.
noun Also especially British, an·nexe.
  1. something annexed.
  2. a subsidiary building or an addition to a building: The emergency room is in the annex of the main building.
  3. something added to a document; appendix; supplement: an annex to a treaty.

Origin of annex

1350–1400; (v.) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French annexer < Medieval Latin annexāre, derivative of Latin annexus tied to, past participle of annectere (see annectent); (noun) < French annexe or noun use of v.
Related formsan·nex·a·ble, adjectivenon·an·nex·a·ble, adjectivepre·an·nex, verb (used with object)re·an·nex, verb (used with object)un·an·nex·a·ble, adjectiveun·an·nexed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for annex

addendum, appendix, adjoin, addition, affix, arm, adjunct, supplement, attachment, subsidiary, wing, ell, associate, unite, attach, appropriate, tag, link, connect, fasten

Examples from the Web for annex

Contemporary Examples of annex

Historical Examples of annex

  • It worked so well that by the second week in September we had to open t'other Annex.

    The Depot Master

    Joseph C. Lincoln

  • But you aren't going to annex that oil until you hear from the owners?

    The Forbidden Trail

    Honor Willsie

  • Adasaolan, however, did not annex the territory of his defeated cousin.

  • I wish we could annex this place and add it on to the Villa Camellia.

  • Annex Texas, and a great field of expansion for slavery was open.

    The Negro and the Nation

    George S. Merriam

British Dictionary definitions for annex

annex

verb (æˈnɛks) (tr)
  1. to join or add, esp to something larger; attach
  2. to add (territory) by conquest or occupation
  3. to add or append as a condition, warranty, etc
  4. to appropriate without permission
noun (ˈænɛks)
  1. a variant spelling (esp US) of annexe
Derived Formsannexable, adjective

Word Origin for annex

C14: from Medieval Latin annexāre, from Latin annectere to attach to, from nectere to join
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for annex
v.

late 14c., "to connect with," from Old French annexer "to join" (13c.), from Medieval Latin annexare, frequentative of Latin annecetere "to bind to," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + nectere "to tie, bind" (see nexus). Almost always meaning "to join in a subordinate capacity." Of nations or territories, c.1400. Related: Annexed; annexing.

n.

1540s, "an adjunct, accessory," from French annexe, from annexer (see annex (v.)). Meaning "supplementary building" is from 1861.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper