auxiliary

[awg-zil-yuh-ree, -zil-uh-]

adjective

1. additional; supplementary; reserve.

   an auxiliary police force.

2. used as a substitute or reserve in case of need.

   The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of a blackout.

   Synonyms: secondary, ancillary, backup

3. (of a boat) having an engine that can be used to supplement the sails.

   an auxiliary yawl.

4. giving support; serving as an aid; helpful.

   The mind and emotions are auxiliary to each other. Passion is auxiliary to art.

noun

plural

auxiliaries 

1. a person or thing that gives aid of any kind; helper.

   Synonyms: help, assistant, ally, aide

2. an organization allied with, but subsidiary to, a main body of restricted membership, especially one composed of members' relatives.

   The men's club and the ladies' auxiliary were merged into one organization.

3. auxiliary verb.

4. auxiliaries, foreign troops in the service of a nation at war.

5. Navy.,  a naval vessel designed for other than combat purposes, as a tug, supply ship, or transport.

6. Nautical.,  a sailing vessel carrying an auxiliary propulsion engine or engines.

auxiliary

/ -ˈzɪlə-, ɔːɡˈzɪljərɪ /

adjective

1. secondary or supplementary

2. supporting

3. nautical (of a sailing vessel) having an engine

   an auxiliary sloop

noun

1. a person or thing that supports or supplements; subordinate or assistant

2. nautical

   1. a sailing vessel with an engine

   2. the engine of such a vessel

3. navy a vessel such as a tug, hospital ship, etc, not used for combat

Word History and Origins

Origin of auxiliary¹

1595–1605; < Latin auxiliārius assisting, aiding, helping, equivalent to auxili ( um ) aid, help ( aux ( us ) increased, augmented (past participle of augēre: aug- increase + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix) + -ilium noun suffix) + -ārius -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of auxiliary¹

C17: from Latin auxiliārius bringing aid, from auxilium help, from augēre to increase, enlarge, strengthen

Example Sentences

At the right-wing media company The Daily Wire, the ladies’ auxiliary keeps outdoing the dudes.

From Salon

Vann and his auxiliary bishops posted a letter last month condemning the raids, which they said “invoke our worst instincts” and “spread crippling fear and anxieties upon the hard-working, everyday faithful among us.”

From Los Angeles Times

A dress, a color palette, or an accessory becomes an auxiliary narrator, revealing a character’s state of mind or confidence.

From Salon

The men who bribed Jenkins paid for auxiliary deputy sheriff positions so they could avoid traffic tickets and carry concealed firearms without a permit, the prosecutors said.

From BBC

Kabila, a former general, was also disparaging about the government's handling of the security situation countrywide, especially the use of pro-government militias as "auxiliaries" of the armed forces.

From BBC

Related Words

• ancillary