paraphernalia
Paraphernalia are personal belongings or the things that you need to do a task.
(noun)An example of the paraphernalia of motherhood is baby bottles, car seats, strollers and diapers.
See paraphernalia in Webster's New World College Dictionary
plural noun
- personal belongings
- any collection of articles, usually things used in some activity; equipment; apparatus; trappings; gear
- Law, Obsolete
- personal property given to a wife by her husband which he may dispose of during his life, but which passes to her at his death
- the separate personal property of a wife over which her husband has no control
Origin: ML, short for paraphernalia bona, wife's own goods < LL parapherna < Gr, bride's possessions beyond her dower < para-, beyond (see para-) + phernē, a dowry, portion < pherein, to bear
See paraphernalia in American Heritage Dictionary 4
plural noun (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
- Personal belongings.
- The articles used in a particular activity; equipment: a photographer's paraphernalia. See Synonyms at equipment.
- A married woman's personal property exclusive of her dowry, according to common law.
Origin:
Origin: Medieval Latin paraphernālia
Origin: , neuter pl. of paraphernālis
Origin: , pertaining to the parapherna, a married woman's property exclusive of her dowry
Origin: , from Greek
Origin: : para-, beyond; see para-1
Origin: + phernē, dowry; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots
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