accessory

Definition of accessory

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

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).

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

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

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

Definition of accessory in the US English dictionary