appendage
Americannoun
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a subordinate part attached to something; an auxiliary part; addition.
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Anatomy, Zoology. any member of the body diverging from the axial trunk.
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Botany, Mycology. any subsidiary part superadded to another part.
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a person in a subordinate or dependent position, especially a servile or parasitic follower.
noun
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an ancillary or secondary part attached to a main part; adjunct
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zoology any organ that projects from the trunk of animals such as arthropods
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botany any subsidiary part of a plant, such as a branch or leaf
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of appendage
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.
Vocabulary lists containing appendage
"To Build a Fire," Vocabulary from the short story
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"To Build a Fire" by Jack London
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Latin Love, Vol III: pendere
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not everyone understood that Mary’s outflung left arm isn’t some randomly flailing appendage but a gesture pregnant with meaning—multiple ones.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
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
Their work revealed a second previously unrecognized species, Calumma hofreiteri, which had been classified for years as Calumma nasutum because of similarities in the nasal appendage and other visible traits.
From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 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
“Europe,” said Madame Szegeczowska, in her soft French, “is essentially an economic appendage of the Northern Region. We know it, and it doesn’t matter.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
