appendage

noun

ap·pend·age | \ ə-ˈpen-dij

Definition of appendage

1 : an adjunct to something larger or more important : appurtenance

2 : a usually projecting part of an animal or plant body that is typically smaller and of less functional importance than the main part to which it is attached especially : a limb or analogous part (such as a seta)

3 [ appendant ] : a dependent or subordinate person

Synonyms The Root of Appendage Example Sentences Learn More about appendage

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The Root of Appendage

Appendix isn't the only noun that comes from append. Unlike appendix, appendage doesn't suggest the end of something, but simply something attached. The word is often used in biology to refer to parts of an animal's body: an insect's antennae, mouthparts, or wings, for example. The appendages of some animals will grow back after they've been removed; a salamander, for example, can regrow a finger, and the tiny sea squirt can regrow all its appendages—and even its brain.

Examples of appendage in a Sentence

The court system acts as an appendage to the government. an appendage of a larger political party

Recent Examples on the Web

At first, the miner thought the long-toed appendage belonged to an ancient lizard, given its resemblance to the feet of local lizards. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "Ancient bird foot found in amber has bizarrely long toes," 11 July 2019 The appendage features an extremely long third toe never before seen in birds. — Sabine Galvis, Science | AAAS, "This ancient bird sported a ginormous toe," 11 July 2019 The insects in this second wave were armed with wings, unprecedented appendages that allowed them to escape predators and reach new sources of food high up in trees. — Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, "The Origins of Flight, From Birds to Bugs to Planes," 21 June 2019 Series creator Sam Levinson already noted the appendage on display is a prosthetic, which Dane confirms. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Eric Dane talks filming that 'intense' full-frontal scene in Euphoria," 17 June 2019 As a result, the garage complements the tower instead of being a clunky appendage. — Blair Kamin, chicagotribune.com, "A new oval apartment tower breaks out of the box and brightens downtown’s western edge," 12 June 2019 Colby went on to helm the kitchen at Chi Spacca, a butchery-centric appendage of Silverton’s Mozza group that garnered its own share of critical acclaim. — Garrett Snyder, latimes.com, "A first look at Antico, Chad Colby’s ode to rustic Italian cooking," 11 June 2019 This doesn’t mean that individual lizards grew larger appendages, of course. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Caribbean Lizards Are Already Adapting In the Wake of Last Year's Hurricanes," 26 July 2018 The finding also raises the question: How the heck did a glowing, locking sword-like appendage go ignored for so long? — Troy Farah, Smithsonian, "Why Did a Venomous Fish Evolve a Glowing Eye Spike?," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appendage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.