Accessary

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A secondary item added to an outfit or object to enhance it ; a person who knowingly assists someone in committing a crime
2. An extra piece that complements a garment or piece of equipment ; someone who aids a criminal without being the main perpetrator
3. A supplementary part or ornament added to something for effect or function ; an helper who gives assistance to a lawbreaker

Etymology: The word "accessary" (or its more common modern spelling "accessory") traces back to Medieval Latin "accessārius," a term meaning someone who was added to or joined something, with the sense of a helper or associate. Its Latin roots combine "ad," meaning "to," with "cedere," meaning "to go" or "to yield," so the core idea is one thing coming to join another. The sense that matters most for the modern English word developed in legal language. Middle English speakers used the form "accessarie" and its variants for someone who contributed to a crime without being the principal offender, an accomplice who helped from the side. That legal meaning is the reason "accessary" still carries a faint whiff of criminal complicity in its older uses, while the everyday sense of a supplementary item grew out of the broader idea of something added on.

Synonyms: accomplice, accessory, confederate, collaborator