| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| accessory |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ac·ces·so·ry |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   k-s s  -r |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. ac·ces·so·ries
1a. A subordinate or supplementary item; an adjunct. b. Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result. See synonyms at appendage. 2. Law a. 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. b. 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. | | ADJECTIVE: | 1. Having a secondary, supplementary, or subordinate function. 2. 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. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin access rius, from accessor, helper, from Latin accessus, approach. See access. | | OTHER FORMS: | ac ces·sori·al (-s-sôr-l, -sr-) —ADJECTIVE
ac·cesso·ri·ly —ADVERB
ac·cesso·ri·ness —NOUN
| | USAGE NOTE: | Although the pronunciation (-ss-r), 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.
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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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