appurtenance
Americannoun
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Usually appurtenances something associated with, accompanying, or belonging to another thing; accessory.
A retreat to rolling green hills and idyllic lakes, complete with all the appurtenances of luxury we're used to, is a good stress cure.
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Law. Usually appurtenances a right or privilege, outbuilding, or other asset belonging to and passing with a principal property.
The real estate described herein includes all improvements, fixtures, and appurtenances, if any.
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appurtenances. apparatus; equipment.
I dislike those workout programs that insist on tons of specialized appurtenances and instruction.
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belonging, possession, relationship, or origin, or an affix that expresses this.
The -i in Israeli is a suffix of appurtenance.
The ethnic appurtenance of job applicants is private information.
noun
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a secondary or less significant thing or part
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(plural) accessories or equipment
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property law a minor right, interest, or privilege which passes when the title to the principal property is transferred
Etymology
Origin of appurtenance
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English apurtenance, apertinaunce, from Anglo-French apurtenance, from Late Latin appertinentia, derivative of appertinēre “to belong to, pertain” equivalent to ap- + -tinēre; see origin at ap- 1, pertain
Explanation
Something that is an accessory to something but not an integral part of it is an appurtenance. If you buy a car, you may want to purchase a few appurtenances for it, like an ice scraper and fuzzy dice to hang from your rear view mirror. The noun appurtenance does not only refer to tangible objects, such as appurtenances of a certain lifestyle. It can also mean equipment or gear for a certain task. By the time you fill your locker with all the appurtenances of a high school student, you won't have room for a coat. Perhaps the appurtenances you should invest in are heavy sweatshirts.
Vocabulary lists containing appurtenance
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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The Taming of the Shrew
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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.
Yet we say, "I have hope," and there hope would be in the category of Having, Appurtenance.
From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by Minto, William
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.
