| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| appendage |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ap·pend·age |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   -p n d j |
| NOUN: | 1. Something added or attached to an entity of greater importance or size; an adjunct. 2. Biology A part or organ, such as an arm, leg, tail, or fin, that is joined to the axis or trunk of a body. | | SYNONYMS: | appendage, appurtenance, adjunct, accessory, attachment These nouns denote subordinate elements added to another entity. An appendage supplements without being essential: “ … and the complete absence of appendages at the stern decreases hull resistance” (R.J.L. Dicker). An appurtenance belongs naturally as a subsidiary attribute, part, or member: “an internationally known first-class hotel … equipped with such appurtenances as computers, word processors, copiers and telex” (Oscar Millard). An adjunct is added as an auxiliary but is often self-sustaining: “Intelligence analysts … believe that of all the countries of the Middle East, none use terrorism more effectively as an adjunct to diplomacy …” (Elaine Sciolino). An accessory is usually nonessential but desirable: Our new car has such accessories as air conditioning and a sunroof. An attachment adds a function to the thing to which it is connected: The food processor has an attachment for kneading dough.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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