accessory definition | Dictionary.com

ac⋅ces⋅so⋅ry

[ak-ses-uh-ree]

noun, plural -ries, adjective

–noun

1.	a subordinate or supplementary part, object, or the like, used mainly for convenience, attractiveness, safety, etc., as a spotlight on an automobile or a lens cover on a camera.

2.	an article or set of articles of dress, as gloves, earrings, or a scarf, that adds completeness, convenience, attractiveness, etc., to one's basic outfit.

Law.

a.	Also called accessory before the fact. a person who, though not present during the commission of a felony, is guilty of having aided and abetted another, who committed the felony.

b.	Also called accessory after the fact. a person who knowingly conceals or assists another who has committed a felony. Compare principal (def. 9b).

4.	Anatomy. accessory nerve.

–adjective

5.	contributing to a general effect; supplementary; subsidiary.

6.	Law. giving aid as an accessory.

7.	Petrography. (of a mineral) being present in small amounts in a rock and having no bearing on the classification of the rock, as zircon in granite.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME accessorie (< MF) < ML accessōrius. See accede, -tory ¹

Related forms:

ac⋅ces⋅so⋅ri⋅ly, adverb

ac⋅ces⋅so⋅ri⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See addition. 3. accomplice.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To accessory

ac·ces·so·ry (āk-sěs'ə-rē)

n. pl. ac·ces·so·ries

1. A subordinate or supplementary item; an adjunct.
2. Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result. See Synonyms at appendage.
3. One who incites, aids, or abets a lawbreaker in the commission of a crime but is not present at the time of the crime. Also called accessory before the fact.
4. One who aids a criminal after the commission of a crime, but was not present at the time of the crime. Also called accessory after the fact.
Law
1. One who incites, aids, or abets a lawbreaker in the commission of a crime but is not present at the time of the crime. Also called accessory before the fact.
2. One who aids a criminal after the commission of a crime, but was not present at the time of the crime. Also called accessory after the fact.

adj.

Having a secondary, supplementary, or subordinate function.
Law Serving to aid or abet a lawbreaker, either before or after the commission of the crime, without being present at the time the crime was committed.

[Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin accessōrius, from accessor, helper, from Latin accessus, approach; see access.]
ac'ces·so'ri·al (-sə-sôr'ē-əl, -sōr-) adj., ac·ces'so·ri·ly adv., ac·ces'so·ri·ness n.

Usage Note: Although the pronunciation (ə-sěs'ə-rē), with no (k) sound in the first syllable, is commonly heard, it is not accepted by a majority of the Usage Panel. In a recent survey, 87 percent of the Panelists disapproved of it. The 13 percent that accepted the pronunciation were divided on usage: more than half accepted the (k)-less pronunciation for all senses. A few approved of it only in fashion contexts, and a few others approved of it only in legal contexts.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Accessory

Ac*ces"so*ry\ (#; 277), a. [L. accessorius. See Access, and cf. Accessary.] Accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; additional; connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal; contributing or contributory; said of persons and things, and, when of persons, usually in a bad sense; as, he was accessory to the riot; accessory sounds in music.

Note: Ash accents the antepenult; and this is not only more regular, but preferable, on account of easiness of pronunciation. Most orho["e]pists place the accent on the first syllable.

Syn: Accompanying; contributory; auxiliary; subsidiary; subservient; additional; acceding.

Accessory

Ac*ces"so*ry\, n.; pl. Accessories. 1. That which belongs to something else deemed the principal; something additional and subordinate. "The aspect and accessories of a den of banditti." --Carlyle.

2. (Law) Same as Accessary, n.

3. (Fine Arts) Anything that enters into a work of art without being indispensably necessary, as mere ornamental parts. --Elmes.

Syn: Abettor; accomplice; ally; coadjutor. See Abettor.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : accessory

Spanish: accesorio,

German: das Zubehör,

Japanese: アクセサリー

More Translations »

Main Entry: ac·ces·so·ry
Variant: also ac·ces·sa·ry /ik-'se-s&-rE, ak-/
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ries
Etymology: Medieval Latin accessorius subordinate matter, accomplice to a crime, from Latin accedere to go to, agree, assent
1 : a person who is not actually or constructively present but with criminal intent contributes as an assistant or instigator to the commission of a felony called also accessory before the fact —compare principal in the second degree at PRINCIPAL
NOTE: The traditional distinction between accessories before the fact and principals, that accessories were not present and principals were present at the commission of the crime, is not recognized under most modern state statutes. Accessories before the fact are usually considered principals.
2 : a person who knowing that a felony has been committed aids, assists, or shelters the offender with the intent to defeat justice called also accessory after the fact
NOTE: Many state statutes now omit the term accessory after the fact and instead characterize the accessory as having committed a particular offense, such as obstructing justice.
3 : the crime of being an accessory —usually used with to and specifying the crime accessory to murder —H. B. Zobel>;—compare SUBSTANTIVE CRIME —ac·ces·so·ry·ship noun

Main Entry: ¹ac·ces·so·ry
Pronunciation: ik-'ses-(&-)rE, ak-
Function: adjective
1 : aiding, contributing, orassociated in a secondary way: as a : being or functioning as a vitamin <accessory food substances> b : associated in position or function with something(as an organ or lesion) usually of more importance accessory male ducts and glands —B. T. Scheer> accessory pocket formation—Journal of the American Medical Association>
2 : SUPERNUMERARY <accessoryspleens> accessory navicular bone>

Main Entry: ²accessory
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ries
:

ACCESSORY NERVE

accessory ac·ces·so·ry (āk-sěs'ə-rē)
adj.

Having a secondary, supplementary, or subordinate function.
Of, relating to, or being a body part, such as a gland, nerve, or muscle, that is anatomically auxiliary.

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