accoutrement

noun

ac·​cou·​tre·​ment ə-ˈkü-trə-mənt  ə-ˈkü-tər-mənt 

variants or accouterment

ə-ˈkü-tər-mənt 

1

a

: equipment, trappings

specifically : a soldier's outfit usually not including clothes and weapons

—usually used in plural

b

: an accessory item of clothing or equipment

—usually used in plural

Shops offering the physical accoutrements of polite manners—lace, gloves, linen underclothing, snuff, and gentleman's powdered wigs …

—Arthur Herman

2

: an identifying and often superficial characteristic or device

—usually used in plural

… some of the other accouterments of power that define our diplomacy.

—Elizabeth Drew

3

archaic : the act of accoutring

Did you know?

Tracing Accoutrement Back to Old French

Accoutrement and its rarer relative accoutre, a verb meaning "to provide with equipment or furnishings" or "to outfit," have been appearing in English texts since the 16th century. Today both words have variant spellings—accouterment and accouter. The pair's French ancestor, accoutrer, descends from an Old French word meaning "seam" and ultimately traces to the Latin word consuere, meaning "to sew together." Some etymological stitching is visible in another English word: couture, a word referring to the business of making fashionable clothes, as well as to the clothes themselves, is also a descendant of consuere.

Synonyms

• accessory
• accessary
• adapter
• adaptor
• add-on
• adjunct
• appendage
• appliance
• attachment
• option

Examples of accoutrement in a Sentence

this vacuum cleaner has all of the accoutrements for cleaning furniture as well as floors

has all the accoutrements that the home pastry chef could ever want

Recent Examples on the Web

From ashtrays, to rolling sets, to cute accoutrement, there are so many ways to style your sesh. —Emily Earlenbaugh, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

And serve up classic clambake-style accoutrements, like grilled vegetables and corn on the cob. 46. —Maggie Griswold, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2025

There are experts on-site to help guests find great hikes, and the hotel provides all the outdoor accoutrements (binoculars, bicycles, and more) guests need for outdoor exploration. —Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2025

That doesn’t mean comics and the traditional accoutrements of a comic convention are completely absent. —Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French accoutrement, accoustrement, from accoutrer "to accoutre" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

accoutrement

noun

ac·​cou·​tre·​ment

variants or accouterment

ə-ˈkü-trə-mənt  -ˈküt-ər-mənt 

: an accessory item of clothing or equipment

—usually used in plural