appurtenances
|ap-pur-ten-ances|
🇺🇸
/əˈpɝːtənənsɪz/
🇬🇧
/əˈpɜːtənənsɪz/
(appurtenance)
something belonging to a larger thing
Etymology
'appurtenance' originates from Middle English (late 14th–15th c.), ultimately from Latin 'appertinēre' (from ad- + pertinēre), where 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'pertinēre' meant 'to belong or pertain'.
'appurtenance' changed from Old French/Middle English forms such as 'apartenance'/'appurtenaunce' and eventually became the modern English word 'appurtenance'.
Initially, it meant 'that which pertains or belongs to something'; over time it evolved into its current senses of 'an accessory/appendage' and the legal sense 'a right or property that accompanies a principal estate'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an accessory or subordinate item associated with a principal object — e.g., equipment, fittings, or furnishings that accompany something larger.
The mansion and its appurtenances were included in the estate sale.
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Noun 2
a legal term for a right, privilege, or improvement that is considered to belong to and pass with a principal property (for example, easements or outbuildings attached to land).
The easement was treated as one of the property's appurtenances in the sale agreement.
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Last updated: 2025/09/28 05:08