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 aux·il·ia·ries.

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

Originally used as an auxiliary power unit for a commercial airliner, it has been turned into a testbed for new fuels developed in a laboratory next door.

From BBC

However, alongside that disgust and outrage is a general failure to understand how these attacks against the Haitian community – which are auxiliary to the larger campaign of racism and misogyny against Kamala Harris — are part of a much older history of white supremacy and racist conspiracy theories and violence in America.

From Salon

Originally used as an auxiliary power unit for a commercial airliner, it has been turned into a testbed for new fuels developed in a laboratory next door.

From BBC

While the corporate media and the Republican media auxiliary anchored their coverage from the heart of the spectacle, our approach was to be both on the floor of the convention and to embed ourselves in the community outside the compound in order to get a feel for how the broader community experienced the RNC.

From Salon

But the passage of state Senate Bill 972 two years ago created a potentially game-changing new category, the “auxiliary” grill cart.

From Los Angeles Times