appurtenance
noun
ap·pur·te·nance
ə-ˈpərt-nən(t)s 
-ˈpər-tə-nən(t)s
1
appurtenances plural
: accessory objects
the appurtenances of wealth
2
law
: an incidental right (such as a right-of-way) attached to a principal property right and passing in possession with it
3
: a subordinate part or adjunct
The appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremony.—
William Shakespeare
William ShakespeareExamples of appurtenance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet, in trying to save her from being an appurtenance of Voltaire’s, her biographer disembodies her a little.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Between them, these works consumed perhaps a year of Vermeer’s labor—a scrupulous rendering of bourgeois appurtenances and a faithful imagining of internal lives, which might better be described as an act of devotion.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
From them lamps projected at rakish angles, their bases embedded in the other appurtenances and items needed to convert dormitory rooms into homes-away-from home.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2019
Or, underneath the cultural appurtenances of Hawaiian life, were the islanders behaving rationally and pragmatically, much as any other people might?
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2019
The 10-page petition was filed by the water authority to acquire a permanent and perpetual easement and right of way for underground water lines and related facilities, connections and appurtenances.
—Karen Zurawski, Houston Chronicle, 31 July 2019
But proposed green belt-tightening among hoi polloi was not matched by a cutback in second and third homes, overseas vacations, luxury cars, private jets and high-tech appurtenances.
—Victor Davis Hanson, The Mercury News, 13 June 2019
But proposed green belt-tightening among hoi polloi was not matched by a cutback in their second and third homes, overseas vacations, luxury cars, private jets, and high-tech appurtenances.
—Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 13 June 2019
Yes, dear fathers and others born with the appurtenances generally designated male.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 11 June 2018
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Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Between them, these works consumed perhaps a year of Vermeer’s labor—a scrupulous rendering of bourgeois appurtenances and a faithful imagining of internal lives, which might better be described as an act of devotion.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
From them lamps projected at rakish angles, their bases embedded in the other appurtenances and items needed to convert dormitory rooms into homes-away-from home.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2019
Or, underneath the cultural appurtenances of Hawaiian life, were the islanders behaving rationally and pragmatically, much as any other people might?
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2019
The 10-page petition was filed by the water authority to acquire a permanent and perpetual easement and right of way for underground water lines and related facilities, connections and appurtenances.
—Karen Zurawski, Houston Chronicle, 31 July 2019
But proposed green belt-tightening among hoi polloi was not matched by a cutback in second and third homes, overseas vacations, luxury cars, private jets and high-tech appurtenances.
—Victor Davis Hanson, The Mercury News, 13 June 2019
But proposed green belt-tightening among hoi polloi was not matched by a cutback in their second and third homes, overseas vacations, luxury cars, private jets, and high-tech appurtenances.
—Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 13 June 2019
Yes, dear fathers and others born with the appurtenances generally designated male.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 11 June 2018
Articles Related to appurtenance
Dictionary Entries Near appurtenance
Cite this Entry
“Appurtenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appurtenance. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
appurtenance
noun
ap·pur·te·nance
ə-ˈpərt-ᵊn-əns
: property (as an outbuilding or fixture) or a property right (as a right-of-way) that is incidental to a principal property and that passes with the principal property upon sale or transfer
Etymology
Anglo-French apurtenance, alteration of Old French apartenance, from apartenant appurtenant
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