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auxiliary

 - 6 dictionary results

aux⋅il⋅ia⋅ry

  [awg-zil-yuh-ree, -zil-uh-] adjective, noun, plural -ries.
Use auxiliary in a Sentence
–adjective
1. additional; supplementary; reserve: an auxiliary police force.
2. used as a substitute or reserve in case of need: The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of a blackout.
3. (of a boat) having an engine that can be used to supplement the sails: an auxiliary yawl.
4. giving support; serving as an aid; helpful: The mind and emotions are auxiliary to each other. Passion is auxiliary to art.
–noun
5. a person or thing that gives aid of any kind; helper.
6. an organization allied with, but subsidiary to, a main body of restricted membership, esp. one composed of members' relatives: The men's club and the ladies' auxiliary were merged into one organization.
7. auxiliary verb.
8. auxiliaries, foreign troops in the service of a nation at war.
9. Navy. a naval vessel designed for other than combat purposes, as a tug, supply ship, or transport.
10. Nautical. a sailing vessel carrying an auxiliary propulsion engine or engines.
Origin:
1595–1605; < L auxiliārius assisting, aiding, helping, equiv. to auxili(um) aid, help (aux(us) increased, augmented (ptp. of augēre: aug- increase + -sus, var. of -tus ptp. suffix) + -ilium n. suffix) + -ārius -ary

Synonyms:
2. backup, ancillary, secondary. 5. aide, ally, assistant; help.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To auxiliary
aux·il·ia·ry   (ôg-zĭl'yə-rē, -zĭl'ə-rē)   
adj.  

  1. Giving assistance or support; helping.

  2. Acting as a subsidiary; supplementary: the main library and its auxiliary branches.

  3. Held in or used as a reserve: auxiliary troops; an auxiliary power generator.

  4. Nautical Equipped with a motor as well as sails.

  5. Grammar Of, relating to, or being an auxiliary verb.

n.   pl. aux·il·ia·ries

  1. An individual or group that assists or functions in a supporting capacity: a volunteers' auxiliary at a hospital.

  2. A member of a foreign body of troops serving a country in war.

  3. Grammar An auxiliary verb.

  4. Nautical

    1. A sailing vessel equipped with a motor.

    2. A vessel, such as a supply ship or a tug, that is designed for and used in instances and services other than combat.


[Middle English, from Latin auxiliārius, from auxilium, help; see aug- 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

auxiliary  (adj.)
1603, from L. auxiliaris "helpful," from auxilium "aid, help," related to auctus, pp. of augere "to increase" (see augment). Military noun meaning "foreign troops in service of a nation at war" is from 1601.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1aux·il·ia·ry
Pronunciation: og-'zil-y&-rE, -'zil-(&-)rE
Function: adjective
: serving to supplement orassist <auxiliary springs in a dental appliance>

Main Entry: 2auxiliary
Function: noun
1 : one who assists or serves another person especially in dentistry
2 : an organizationthat assists (as by donations or volunteer services) the work especially of a hospital
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

auxiliary aux·il·ia·ry (ôg-zĭl'yə-rē, -zĭl'ə-rē)
adj.

  1. Functioning in an augmenting capacity; supplementary.

  2. Functioning as a subordinate; secondary.

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