First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1auxiliary
adjective aux·il·ia·ry \ȯg-ˈzil-yə-rē, -ˈzil-rē, -ˈzi-lə-\
: available to provide extra help, power, etc., when it is needed
Full Definition of AUXILIARY
1
a : offering or providing help b : functioning in a subsidiary capacity <an auxiliary branch of the state university>
2
of a verb : accompanying another verb and typically expressing person, number, mood, or tense
3
a : supplementary b : constituting a reserve <an auxiliary power plant>
4
: equipped with sails and a supplementary inboard engine <an auxiliary sloop>
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Examples of AUXILIARY
- Travelers have also been griping about a lack of air-conditioning while planes are on the tarmac—even after delays stretch for hours. Airlines blame the problem on a breakdown of a plane's auxiliary power unit. —Darren Everson, Wall Street Journal, 8 Aug. 2007
- However, on March 1, 1896, Italian forces underwent a stunning defeat at Adwa, where they fought against the warriors of the Abyssinian emperor, Menelik. Some five thousand Italian troops and two thousand native auxiliary troops had been killed or captured, and the colony had been lost. —Mirella Tenderini et al., The Duke of the Abruzzi, 1997
- The rotund 6'1", 235-pound object of their affections hasn't played a day of major league baseball, he dresses in the auxiliary locker room, and he isn't even listed on Boston's 40-man roster. But after a resplendent summer last year at Triple A Pawtucket and a winter of panegyrics from a giddy Boston press, first baseman Maurice Samuel (Mo) Vaughn, 23, has arrived as a “real” rookie who everyone in Red Sox-land hopes is the real thing. —Nicholas Dawidoff, Sports Illustrated, 1 Apr. 1991
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Origin of AUXILIARY
Latin auxiliaris, from auxilium help; akin to Latin augēre to increase — more at eke
Related to AUXILIARY
- Synonyms
- accessorial, accessory, appurtenant, peripheral, supplemental, supplementary
2auxiliary
noun aux·il·ia·ry \ȯg-ˈzil-yə-rē, -ˈzil-rē, -ˈzi-lə-\
: a group that provides help or assistance
plural aux·il·ia·ries
Full Definition of AUXILIARY
1
a : an auxiliary person, group, or device (see 1auxiliary); specifically : a member of a foreign force serving a nation at war b : a Roman Catholic titular bishop assisting a diocesan bishop and not having the right of succession —called also auxiliary bishop
2
: a sailing boat or ship equipped with a supplementary inboard engine
3
: an auxiliary verb
See auxiliary defined for English-language learners
Examples of AUXILIARY
- In 1944 Forrestal also began a program of sending black enlisted men to serve in a limited number of fleet auxiliaries. These were still not warships, but they were seagoing vessels and closer to the fighting Navy than the small harbor-defense craft and harbor auxiliaries that had initially been open to black crews. —The Golden Thirteen, 1993
- Roman cavalry was poorly developed; they relied on wings, called alae, of horsemen supplied by their auxiliaries. The favorite Roman battle formation was of a triple line of cohorts with alae sweeping the flanks. —Kenneth P. Czech, MHQ : The Quarterly Journal of Military History, Autumn 1992
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Origin of AUXILIARY
(see 1auxiliary)
First Known Use: 1567
AUXILIARY Defined for Kids
1auxiliary
adjective aux·il·ia·ry \ȯg-ˈzi-lyə-rē, -ˈzi-lə-rē, -ˈzil-rē\
Definition of AUXILIARY for Kids
: available to provide something extra <an auxiliary engine>
2auxiliary
noun
plural aux·il·ia·ries
Learn More About AUXILIARY
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