English Reference

Word

appendage

Phoneticsap·pendage

US/əˈpɛndɪdʒ/

UK/ɐpˈɛndɪdʒ/

Definition

n. a part of a body that is attached to the main part, like an arm or a leg. It can also mean something extra that is added to a main object, like a small room or a note at the end of a book.

n. a part of an organism that is attached to the body but is not part of the main trunk; also, a supplementary part or feature added to a primary object. Often used in biological contexts to describe limbs or in technical contexts to describe supplementary structures.

Examples

“The insect has several long appendages for moving.”

“The architect designed a small glass appendage to the main house to serve as a sunroom.”

“While the primary structure of the molecule is stable, the presence of a reactive appendage allows it to bind more effectively to the target protein during the chemical reaction.”

Examples

simple

“The insect has several long appendages for moving.”

contextual

“The architect designed a small glass appendage to the main house to serve as a sunroom.”

complex

“While the primary structure of the molecule is stable, the presence of a reactive appendage allows it to bind more effectively to the target protein during the chemical reaction.”

Real-World Examples

“Most importantly, the researchers identified two pincer-like appendages positioned just behind the creature's eyes.”
ScienceDaily · 4 Aug 2026
“Most strikingly, however, segments 1–9 of the abdomen bore segmented appendages, with the posterior abdominal limbs modified into paddle-like structures.”
Phys.org · 27 Aug 2026
“Segments 1 through 9 carried segmented appendages, and the rear abdominal limbs had been modified into paddle-like structures.”
ScienceDaily · 27 Aug 2026

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- Proto-Indo-European *(s)péndeti Proto-Italic *pendō Latin pendō Latin appendō Old French apendrebor. Middle English appenden English append Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Italic *-kos Latin -cus Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Old French -agebor. Middle English -age English -age English appendage From append + -age.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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