ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ancillary

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈænsəˌɫɛɹi// UK //ˈænsɪləɹi// an·cil·lary Archaic

adj. providing extra help or support to something more important. You use this to describe things that are secondary or additional to the main part.

adj. providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organisation, institution, or system. Often describes services, costs, or staff that are subordinate to the main purpose.


SIMPLE

The hotel offers ancillary services like laundry and airport transfers.

CONTEXTUAL

While the main goal is education, the school provides ancillary support through counseling and career advice.

COMPLEX

The court ruled that the ancillary evidence, though not central to the crime itself, was necessary to establish a pattern of behavior by the defendant.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin ancillāris (“ancillary; relating to maids”), from ancilla (“maid”).

Usage

Typically precedes the noun it modifies; frequently used in formal, legal, or technical contexts.

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