accessory.
Having a secondary, supplementary or subordinate function by accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; being additional; contributing or being contributory.
Meaning & usage
Having a secondary, supplementary or subordinate function by accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; being additional; contributing or being contributory.
accessory garments
Surprise parties succeed with the help of accessory neighbors or colleagues.
Assisting a crime without actually participating in committing the crime itself; being connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal.
Her actions were clearly accessory because they helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
Present in a minor amount, and not essential.
accessory mineral
Supernumerary and generally nonfunctional.
She had an accessory finger on one hand.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Italic *kezdō Latin cēdō Latin accēdō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin accessor Latin -ius Medieval Latin accessōriusbor. English accessory From Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor (“helper, subordinate”), from accessus. Compare access, from same root.
Something that belongs to part of another main thing; something additional and subordinate, an attachment.
the accessories of a mobile phone
An article that completes one's basic outfit, such as a scarf or gloves.
A person who is not present at a crime, but contributes to it as an assistant or instigator.
She was an accessory to the murder because she helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
Something in a work of art without being indispensably necessary, for example solely ornamental parts.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor (“helper, subordinate”), from accessus. Compare access, from same root.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.