accessory

Etymology 1

First attested in 1550s. From Middle English accessorie, from Medieval Latin accessōrius, from Latin accessor (“helper, subordinate”), from accessus. Compare access, from same root.

adj

1. Having a secondary, supplementary or subordinate function by accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; being additional; contributing or being contributory.
   accessory garments
   Surprise parties succeed with the help of accessory neighbors or colleagues.
2. (law) Assisting a crime without actually participating in committing the crime itself; being connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal.
   Coordinate term: principal
   Her actions were clearly accessory because they helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
3. Present in a minor amount, and not essential.
   accessory mineral

Etymology 2

* (legal): First attested in 1414. * (fashion): First attested in 1896.

noun

1. Something that belongs to part of another main thing; something additional and subordinate, an attachment.
   the accessories of a mobile phone
2. (fashion) An article that completes one's basic outfit, such as a scarf or gloves.
   One of the first of a wave of American women contemporary designers who emerged in the 1990s, she Kate Spade] built a brand on the appeal of clothes and accessories that made shoppers smile. 5 June 2018, Jonah Engel Bromwich, Vanessa Friedman, Matthew Schneier, “Kate Spade, whose handbags carried women into adulthood, is dead at 55”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2018-06-06
3. (law) A person who is not present at a crime, but contributes to it as an assistant or instigator.
   She was an accessory to the murder because she helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.
   You can be an accessory before the fact, or an accessory after the fact. It doesnʼt matter if itʼs before or after; either way youʼd be in for it. 2005, Jennifer Worth, Shadows of the Workhouse, Weidenfeld & Nicholson (2009), page 150
4. (art) Something in a work of art without being indispensably necessary, for example solely ornamental parts.