First Known Use: 1651
Dictionary
paraphernalia
noun plural but singular or plural in construction par·a·pher·na·lia \ˌper-ə-fə(r)-ˈnāl-yə, ˌpa-rə-\
: objects that are used to do a particular activity : objects of a particular kind
Full Definition of PARAPHERNALIA
1
: the separate real or personal property of a married woman that she can dispose of by will and sometimes according to common law during her life
2
: personal belongings
3
a : articles of equipment : furnishings b : accessory items : appurtenances
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Examples of PARAPHERNALIA
- Mind if we pick through your personal effects? The King of Scrounge, an American serviceman, has crammed his local apartment with enough salvaged paraphernalia to equip a battalion. —Garry Trudeau, New York Times, 25 June 1991
- There were odd knickknacks (strange that the Hebrew naknik should mean sausage)—… shell ashtrays from Brighton, all my stepmother's paraphernalia. —Anthony Burgess, Wilson Quarterly, Spring 1991
- To an Englishman, accustomed to the paraphernalia of Westminster Hall, an American Court of Law is as odd a sight as, I suppose, an English Court of Law would be to an American. Except in the Supreme Court at Washington (where the judges wear a plain black robe), there is no such thing as a wig or gown connected with the administration of justice. —Charles Dickens, American Notes, 1842
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Origin of PARAPHERNALIA
Medieval Latin, ultimately from Greek parapherna bride's property beyond her dowry, from para- + phernē dowry, from pherein to bear — more at bear
Related to PARAPHERNALIA
- Synonyms
- accoutrements (or accouterments), apparatus, gear, hardware, kit [chiefly British], material(s), matériel (or materiel), outfit, equipment, stuff, tackle
Rhymes with PARAPHERNALIA
Learn More About PARAPHERNALIA
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