apparatus

[ap-uh-rat-uhs, -rey-tuhs]

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noun, plural ap·pa·rat·us, ap·pa·rat·us·es.

a group or combination of instruments, machinery, tools, materials, etc., having a particular function or intended for a specific use: Our town has excellent fire-fighting apparatus.

any complex instrument or mechanism for a particular purpose.

any system or systematic organization of activities, functions, processes, etc., directed toward a specific goal: the apparatus of government; espionage apparatus.

Physiology. a group of structurally different organs working together in the performance of a particular function: the digestive apparatus.

Origin of apparatus

1620–30; < Latin apparātus equipment, orig. the act of equipping, preparation, equivalent to apparā(re) to prepare (ap- ap-¹ + parāre; see prepare) + -tus suffix of v. action

Synonyms for apparatus

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2. machine, appliance, device, contraption, contrivance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for apparatus

gear, means, appliance, mechanism, machine, machinery, device, gizmo, hierarchy, bureaucracy, network, structure, jigger, doodad, gimmick, paraphernalia, dingbat, supplies, contraption, widget

Examples from the Web for apparatus

Contemporary Examples of apparatus

Safety officials believe it snapped, sending both acrobats and apparatus hurtling 25 to 40 feet to the floor.
Thrills and Too Many Spills: The Dangers of the Circus
Marina Watts
May 5, 2014
The apparatus the Clintons have in place could be a bit rusty, so this dustup is a test run for bigger battles ahead.
Sharks Are Circling Around Hillary
Eleanor Clift
March 13, 2014
It is difficult to have perspective on a problem when you have been personally part of the apparatus.
Past Scott Walker: Fight Crosses Party Lines as California Voters Back Pension Reforms
John Avlon
June 7, 2012
The apparatus works its mayhem sprinkled with the Holy Water of transparency and consequences.
Toyota's a Victim, Not a Villain
Eric Dezenhall
February 13, 2011
But for a potential presidential candidate to have no apparatus for massaging the media is remarkable.
Sarah Palin's Enforcer
Howard Kurtz
January 19, 2011

Historical Examples of apparatus

The apparatus and its weights are arranged in the interior of the vessel.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 433, April 19, 1884
Various
This apparatus is intended to carry only one person (the operator).
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
With this apparatus the message was registered at the rate of six words a minute.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
Wheatstone and he obtained a considerable sum for the use of their apparatus.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
This was the first apparatus which printed a telegram in type.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro

British Dictionary definitions for apparatus

apparatus

noun plural -ratus or -ratuses

a collection of instruments, machines, tools, parts, or other equipment used for a particular purpose

a machine having a specific functionbreathing apparatus

the means by which something operates; organizationthe apparatus of government

anatomy any group of organs having a specific function

Word Origin for apparatus

C17: from Latin, from apparāre to make ready

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 apparatus

1620s, from Latin apparatus "tools, implements, equipment; preparation, a preparing," noun of state from past participle stem of apparare "prepare," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + parare "make ready" (see pare).

apparatus in Medicine

apparatus

[ăp′ə-rā′təs, -răt′əs]

n. pl. apparatus

An integrated group of materials or devices used for a particular purpose.

A group or system of organs that collectively performs a specific function or process.