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 Worms can be incredibly difficult to tell apart, with visual differences coming down to the number of teensy spines or hooks on a microscopic appendage. — Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 28 Apr. 2022 At a finale event March 8, co-showrunners D.V. DeVincentis and Robert Siegel told THR that DeVincentis originally had voiced the animatronic appendage, but that Hulu was seeking a name to rerecord the role. — Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2022 Despite the frozen appendage, Lindholm still managed to place in the middle of the field in the 60-skier event, falling roughly four minutes short of the medal winners but 16 minutes ahead of the back of the pack. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2022 Keeping the high-tech appendage fully attached a while longer may prove a headache for SoftBank. — Jacky Wong, WSJ, 8 Feb. 2022 Based on the size of the football fish and the protruding appendage on the top of its head, Crystal Cove State Park officials say the fish is female. — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2021 Community Healthcare System is participating in a clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of the WATCHMAN FLX™ left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device against contemporary blood thinners. — Post-tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 8 Apr. 2022 As that appendage suggests, these are productions that are aimed at younger audiences. — David Lyman, The Enquirer, 25 Mar. 2022 Other places he was detained included Mittelbau-Dora, originally an appendage of Buchenwald, and Bergen-Belsen, a camp in northern Germany that started out as a site holding prisoners of war and in 1943 became a concentration camp. — Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2022 See More

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.

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