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accessory

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An accessory is something that you add on just to increase the beauty or functionality of something else. (noun)

An example of an accessory would be a necklace you put on to make your outfit more complete.

An accessory is a person who assists someone else to break the law or commit a crime but who doesn't participate in committing the crime himself. (noun)

An example of an accessory would be someone who let a criminal hide in their house.

See accessory in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

extra; additional; helping in a secondary or subordinate way
Geol. occurring in minor amounts in a specified rock; nonessential: accessory minerals are disregarded in classifying rocks
Law acting as an accessory; helping in an unlawful act

noun pl. accessories

something extra; thing added to help in a secondary way; specif.,
1. an article worn or carried to complete one's costume, as purse, gloves, etc.
2. a piece of optional equipment for convenience, comfort, appearance, etc.: the accessories of an automobile
Law a person who, though absent, helps another to break or escape the law; accomplice

See accessory in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(ăk-sĕsˈə-rē)

noun pl. ac·ces·so·ries

a. A subordinate or supplementary item; an adjunct.
b. Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result. See Synonyms at appendage.
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

Having a secondary, supplementary, or subordinate function.
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.

Related Forms:

acˌces·soˈri·al (-sə-sôrˈē-əl, -sōr-) adjective

ac·cesˈso·ri·ly adverb

ac·cesˈso·ri·ness noun

Usage Note: Although the pronunciation (ə-sĕsˈə-rē), 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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