accessory

/ik-ˈse-sə-rē/

Middle English accessorie, axcessary "person contributing to the commission of an offense," borrowed from Anglo-French accessorie, accessoire, borrowed from Medieval Latin accessōrius "person contributing to the commission of an offense, supplementary material," from Latin access- (stem in derivation of accēdere "to approach") + -ōrius

noun

  1. an object or device that is not essential in itself but adds to the beauty, convenience, or effectiveness of something else

  2. a thing of secondary or lesser importance : adjunct

  3. a person not actually or constructively present but contributing as an assistant or instigator to the commission of an offense —called also accessory before the fact

auto accessories

adjective

  1. assisting under the orders of another; especially : contributing to a crime but not as the chief agent

  2. aiding or contributing in a secondary way : supplementary

  3. present in a minor amount and not essential as a constituent

noun

  1. a fruit (such as the apple) of which a conspicuous part consists of tissue other than that of the ripened ovary