paraphernalia

par·a·pher·na·lia

noun plural but singular or plural in construction \ˌper-ə-fə(r)-ˈnāl-yə, ˌpa-rə-\

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

Examples of PARAPHERNALIA

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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

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

First Known Use: 1651

Related to PARAPHERNALIA

Synonyms

accoutrements (or accouterments), apparatus, gear, hardware, kit [chiefly British], material(s), matériel (or materiel), outfit, equipment, stuff, tackle

Related Words

accessories, appurtenances, attachments, fittings; baggage, belongings, impedimenta; appliances, facilities, instruments, machinery, tools; apparel, attire, habiliments, raiment, trappings; armamentarium, armory, arsenal, battery; assets, resources

Near Antonyms

immovables, real estate

Rhymes with PARAPHERNALIA

Orientalia