Ancillary Meaning
/ænˈsɪl.ə.ɹiː/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjSubordinate; secondary; auxiliary.
nounSomething that serves an ancillary function, such as an easel for a painter.
Sentence Examples
That information is ancillary to our discussion.
You will be provided with all the ancillary materials you require.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hospital hired ____ staff to assist with non-medical tasks like filing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company provides several ____ services to support its core products.
Word Origin & History
From Latin ancillāris (“ancillary; relating to female slaves”), from ancilla (“slave-woman”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] how easily he took all things along with him,—the persons, the opinions, and the day, and nature became ancillary to a man."
— 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature, Chapter 3:
"[E]very organ of the body, whatever function it may perform, must also perform the other four functions in an ancillary manner."
— 1898, John Wesley Powell, “Chapter 7”, in Truth and Error:
"The cafeteria is primarily used by students and staff (academic, administrative, and ancillary)."
— 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 4:
"Auxiliaries and ancillaries are comprehensive, and include a Westinghouse motor-driven recriprocating compressor used for locomotive braking and general service air, two rotary exhauster sets for train brakes when hauling passenger or fitted freight trains, and an oil-fired train heating boiler."
— 1950 November, “Mixed-Traffic Diesel-Electric Locomotives for Ireland”, in Railway Magazine, page 781:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hospital hired ____ staff to assist with non-medical tasks like filing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company provides several ____ services to support its core products.