accessory

 
Pronunciation: /əkˈsɛs(ə)ri/

noun (plural accessories)

  • 1a thing which can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive: optional accessories include a battery charger and shoulder strap
  • a small article or item of clothing carried or worn to complement a garment or outfit: she wore the suit with perfectly matching accessories—hat, bag, shoes
  • 2 (also accessary) Law someone who gives assistance to the perpetrator of a crime without taking part in it: she was charged as an accessory to murder

adjective

chiefly technical
  • contributing to or aiding an activity or process in a minor way; subsidiary or supplementary: functionally the maxillae are a pair of accessory jaws

Phrases

accessory before (or after) the fact

Law, dated a person who incites or assists someone to commit an arrestable offence (or knowingly aids someone who has committed such an offence).

Derivatives

accessorial

Pronunciation: /aksɛˈsɔːrɪəl/
adjective (chiefly Law)

Origin:

late Middle English: from medieval Latin accessorius 'additional thing', from Latin access- 'increased', from the verb accedere (see accede)

Spelling help

Spell accessory with a double c and a double s; the ending is -ory.

Spelling rule

Make the plural of words that end in a consonant plus -y by changing the -y to -ies (as in berry/berries): (accessories).