Accessory

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Pronunciation: /əkˈsɛs(ə)ɹi/

Definitions

1. An extra item added to something for decoration or practical use ; a person who assists or contributes to a criminal act without directly committing it
2. A supplementary object used to improve or complement something else ; an individual who aids, abets, or is complicit in a crime, often indirectly
3. An auxiliary object that enhances function or appearance ; someone who knowingly helps another carry out an illegal act without being the main perpetrator

Etymology: The noun sense of "accessory" that means a helper in a crime is older than the sense for a decorative extra. The Latin "accessor" meant "helper" or "subordinate," and it came from "accessus," the noun for approach, from "accedere," to come near or to add oneself to something. Medieval Latin turned that into "accessorius," meaning additional or contributory, and English borrowed the adjective and noun forms from it, first as "accessorie" in Middle English. The root idea is simply something that comes alongside. A person who helps with a wrongdoing without carrying it out is someone who approaches the act from the side, and a belt or handbag is an extra item that joins the main garment. Both senses grow from the same sense of adding to something else. The word "access" shares this root, since it also comes from "accessus," the act of approaching. The two English words look related because they are: one stresses the approach, the other the thing that joins on.

Synonyms: supplement, addition, extra, adjunct, appendage

Antonyms: primary, main, essential, fundamental, core