Contents
English
Etymology
From Latin ancillāris < ancilla (“‘maid’”), diminutive of ancula, feminine of anculus (“‘a male servant’”) < *ancus (“‘a servant’”), from ambi- (“‘about’”) + Proto-Indo-European *kwol-o-, from base Proto-Indo-European *kwel- (“‘move round, turn about, be much about’”).[1]
See ambi- for cognate terms of prefix, such as ambulate; cycle is cognate from the Proto-Indo-European root.
Pronunciation
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Audio (US) (file)
Adjective
ancillary (comparative more ancillary, superlative most ancillary)
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Positive ancillary |
Comparative more ancillary |
Superlative most ancillary |
- Subordinate; secondary; auxiliary; accessory.
- 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature, Chapter 3:
- […] how easily he took all things along with him,—the persons, the opinions, and the day, and nature became ancillary to a man.
- 1898, John Wesley Powell, Truth and Error, Chapter 7
- [E]very organ of the body, whatever function it may perform, must also perform the other four functions in an ancillary manner.
- 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature, Chapter 3:
Noun
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Singular ancillary |
Plural ancillaries |
ancillary (plural ancillaries)
- Something that serves an ancillary function, such as an easel for a painter.
- (archaic) An auxiliary; a subordinate.
Translations
thing
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References
- Notes:
- ancillary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- ancillary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- ancillary at OneLook® Dictionary Search
Anagrams
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Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:41:26 GMT+00:00
Forbes (blog) We attribute about 10% of Costco's stock value to ancillary services like in-store food service, one-hour photo centers, optical dispensing centers, ...
