accoutrement
noun
ə-ˈkü-tər-mənt
Arthur HermanElizabeth Drew
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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
Examples of accoutrement in a Sentence
Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 6 Oct. 2024
The caviar supplement, served in a silver scallop, does not come with accoutrement.
—Caroline Hatchett, Robb Report, 1 Nov. 2024
Any outsized accoutrements should at least be made removable.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
And the fine line in truffles found in the surrounding soil could yield more than simply a decadent accoutrement to family dinners.
—Zoë Dare Hall, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near accoutrement
Cite this Entry
“Accoutrement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accoutrement. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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accoutrement
noun
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