Definition of PARAPHERNALIA

paraphernalia

Noun

  • equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.
  • Miscellaneous items, especially the set of equipment required for a particular activity.
  • Objects that a married woman owns, such as clothing and jewellery, apart from her dowry.

Examples

  • "He has an impressive collection of bicycling paraphernalia, but he doesn't ride very often anymore."

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin paraphernālia (“goods which a wife brings over and above her dowry”), use as noun (short for paraphernālia bona (“paraphernal goods”)) of neuter plural of paraphernālis, from Late Latin parapherna + Latin -ālis (suffix forming adjectives), from Ancient Greek παράφερνα (parápherna), a compound of παρά (pará, “beside”) + φερνή (phernḗ, “dowry”). In the propertied classes, a dowry was placed under the control of the husband, while the paraphernalia which she brought with her remained the wife’s property.

Scrabble Score: 0

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Words With Friends Score: 0

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