accoutrement

noun

ac·​cou·​tre·​ment ə-ˈkü-trə-mənt How to pronounce accoutrement (audio) ə-ˈkü-tər-mənt How to pronounce accoutrement (audio)
variants or accouterment
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.

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 Both aspiring chefs and kitchen aficionados will appreciate a few chic culinary supplies or accoutrement to stock their kitchens. Madeline Fass, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2024 Crème de la Crème is popular for home goods and is stocked with an assortment of glassware, candles, linens, and garden accoutrements. Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2024 That is, simply having the world’s best mattress isn’t enough to guarantee you five-star REM on the nightly—you’ll still want dreamy accoutrement, like a pillow that supports neck and spine alignment and cooling sheets that help prevent swampy mornings. Alexis Berger, SELF, 14 Aug. 2024 The kind that take you back to simple breakfasts at home, where paper plates sag in the steam of a stack of homemade cakes and the only accoutrements are a stick of room-temp butter and a sticky bottle of syrup. Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for accoutrement 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accoutrement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of accoutrement was circa 1550

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Cite this Entry

“Accoutrement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accoutrement. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

accoutrement

noun
ac·​cou·​tre·​ment
variants or accouterment
: an accessory item of clothing or equipment
usually used in plural

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