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apparatus

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Apparatus
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ap⋅pa⋅rat⋅us

  [ap-uh-rat-uhs, -rey-tuhs]
Use apparatus in a Sentence
–noun, plural -tus, -tus⋅es.
1. a group or combination of instruments, machinery, tools, materials, etc., having a particular function or intended for a specific use: Our town has excellent fire-fighting apparatus.
2. any complex instrument or mechanism for a particular purpose.
3. any system or systematic organization of activities, functions, processes, etc., directed toward a specific goal: the apparatus of government; espionage apparatus.
4. Physiology. a group of structurally different organs working together in the performance of a particular function: the digestive apparatus.
Origin:
1620–30; < L apparātus equipment, orig. the act of equipping, preparation, equiv. to apparā(re) to prepare (ap- ap- 1 + parāre; see prepare ) + -tus suffix of v. action

Synonyms:
2. machine, appliance, device, contraption, contrivance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Apparatus
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ap·pa·rat·us   (āp'ə-rāt'əs, -rā'təs)   
n.   pl. apparatus or ap·pa·rat·us·es

    1. An appliance or device for a particular purpose: an x-ray apparatus.

    2. An integrated group of materials or devices used for a particular purpose: dental apparatus. See Synonyms at equipment.

    3. The totality of means by which a designated function is performed or a specific task executed, as in a system of government.

    4. A political organization or an underground political movement. Also called apparat.

    1. The totality of means by which a designated function is performed or a specific task executed, as in a system of government.

    2. A political organization or an underground political movement. Also called apparat.

  3. Physiology A group or system of organs that collectively perform a specific function or process: the respiratory apparatus; the digestive apparatus.

  4. The critical and source material that accompanies an edition of a text.


[Latin apparātus, preparation, from past participle of apparāre, to prepare : ad-, ad- + parāre, to prepare; see perə-1 in Indo-European roots.]
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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Word Origin & History

apparatus 
1628, from L. apparatus "equipment, preparation," n. of state from apparare "prepare," from ad- "to" + parare "make ready" (see pare).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ap·pa·ra·tus
Pronunciation: "ap-&-'rat-&s, -'rAt-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -tus·es or -tus
: a group of anatomical and cytological parts having a common function apparatus> —see GOLGI APPARATUS
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

apparatus ap·pa·ra·tus (āp'ə-rā'təs, -rāt'əs)
n. pl. apparatus or ap·pa·ra·tus·es

  1. An integrated group of materials or devices used for a particular purpose.

  2. A group or system of organs that collectively performs a specific function or process.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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