Dictionary

apparatus en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌæp.əˈɹæt.əs/
• (US) audio
• /ˌæp.əˈɹeɪ.təs/
• /ˌæp.əˈɹɑː.təs/
• /ʔɐp.pɐˈɾaː.t̪ʊs/ (Philippines)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₃o- Latin *paro- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin parō Latin apparō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin apparātuslbor. English apparatus Learned borrowing from Latin apparātus. Doublet of apparat.

Meanings

1. The entirety of means whereby a specific production is made existent or task accomplished.
   • It describes a “coordinated effort by the CCP’s propaganda apparatus … to discredit the BBC, distract international attention and recapture control of the narrative,” mostly outside Chinese borders. 2021 March 4, Emma Graham-Harrison, “China's Communist party ran campaign to discredit BBC, thinktank finds”, in The Guardian:
   • These television stations are part of the apparatus and power of Milosevic. This is the apparatus he has used to do the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. It is the apparatus that keeps him in power and we are entirely justified as Nato allies in damaging and taking on those targets. 1999 April 24, Martin Kettle, Alex Brummer, quoting Tony Blair, “The bombing goes on”, in The Guardian:
   • Among the many good points Thomas Piketty makes in Capital in the Twenty First Century – his world-changing but surprisingly mild book – is that extreme inequality can be sustained politically only through an “apparatus of justification”. 2014 July 29, George Monbiot, “The rich want us to believe their wealth is good for us all”, in The Guardian:
   • Many jihadist plots have been foiled and the security apparatus is getting better, overall, at pre-empting those who would do us ill. But, they say, the nature of the threat and the terrorists’ increasing use of low-tech, asymmetrical tactics such as hire vehicles and knives, make it all but impossible to stop every assault. 2017 August 20, “The Observer view on the attacks in Spain”, in The Observer:
2. A complex machine or instrument.
   • An apparatus for exploring the atmosphere of a planet such as Venus, at a specific altitude, was patented this week for a French agency, the Office Nationale d'Etudes et de Recherche Aerospatiales. 1983 July 30, Stacy V. Jones, “Apparatus For Study Of Planets”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • “I have met my young photographer,” said De Stancy, cheerily. “What a small world it is, as every busybody truly observes! I am wishing he could take some views for us as we go on; but you have no apparatus with you, I suppose, Mr. Dare?” 1880–1881, Thomas Hardy, chapter I, in A Laodicean; or, The Castle of the De Stancys. A Story of To-day. […], volume III, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, […], published 1881, →OCLC, book the fifth (De Stancy and Paula), page 40:
3. (collective) An assortment of tools and instruments.
   • We immediately threw out all the little things we had with us, ſuch as biſcuits, apples, &c. and after that one of our oars or wings; but ſtill deſcending, we caſt away the other wing, and then the governail ; having likewiſe had the precaution, for fear of accidents, while the Balloon was filling, partly to looſen and make it go eaſy, I now ſucceeded in attempting to reach without the Car, and unſcrewing the moulinet, with all its apparatus; I likewiſe caſt that into the ſea. 1786, John Jeffries, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, A narrative of the two aerial Voyages of Dr. J. with Mons. Blanchard: with meteorological observations and remarks., page 45:
4. A bureaucratic organization, especially one influenced by political patronage.
   • In English fiction—that is to say British fiction in the English language tradition—it is a subtle question because we dislike thinking abstractly and conceptualisation of government, where it exists, is vague and confused. Take bishops: they sat as legislators and so were part of the governing apparatus. 2006 April 3, David Walker, “Beyond her imagination”, in The Guardian:
5. A vehicle used for emergency response.
6. Any of the equipment on which the gymnasts perform their movements.
7. (qualifier:rhythmic gymnastics) Any of the objects that the gymnasts wield while performing and used as part of the performance itself.
8. A complex, highly modified weapon (typically not a firearm); a weaponized “Rube Goldberg machine.”
9. In an edition, a system of notations providing information, especially regarding variant readings of a text (a critical apparatus)

Forms

Deriveds

critical apparatus · Orsat apparatus · Golgi apparatus · Abbe-Zeiss apparatus · Fizeau-Foucault apparatus · Ilizarov apparatus · photoapparatus · CTD apparatus · Kipp's apparatus · juxtaglomerular apparatus · Weberian apparatus · apparatus criticus · Soxhlet apparatus · breathing apparatus · apparatus program · lacrimal apparatus

Relateds

apparat

Synonyms

dynamic · tools · instrument · gear · mechanism · device · machine · equipment · setup · machinery

Translations (152)

id peralatan (assortment of tools or instruments) · haw maomeka (complex machine or instrument) · ja 装置 (assortment of tools or instruments) · sv apparat (bureaucratic organization) · nl apparaat (complex machine or instrument) · da apparat (complex machine or instrument) · it impianto (complex machine or instrument) · az aparat (complex machine or instrument) · sh апа̀ра̄т (complex machine or instrument) · fa-ira آلَت (complex machine or instrument) · uk апара́т (complex machine or instrument) · fi välineistö (assortment of tools or instruments) · el μηχανισμός (bureaucratic organization) · mk апара́т (complex machine or instrument) · ml ഉപകരണം (assortment of tools or instruments) · ga fearas (assortment of tools or instruments) · uk апара́т (bureaucratic organization) · pl aparat (entirety of means for a specific end) · bg режим (entirety of means for a specific end) · hy ապարատ (complex machine or instrument) · ja 機構 (bureaucratic organization) · ko 장치 (complex machine or instrument) · cmn 儀器 /仪器 (complex machine or instrument) · fi koneisto (bureaucratic organization) · cy offer (assortment of tools or instruments) · bg съоръжение (assortment of tools or instruments) · nl toestel (complex machine or instrument) · la apparātus (assortment of tools or instruments) · ka აპარატი (complex machine or instrument) · pt equipamento (assortment of tools or instruments) · he מַנְגָּנוֹן (bureaucratic organization) · bg уредба (entirety of means for a specific end) · fa-ira آپارات (complex machine or instrument) · sq aparat (complex machine or instrument) · ajp آلة (complex machine or instrument) · bg уред (rhythmic gymnastics: object) · nl turntoestel (gymnastics: equipment) · pl aparat (complex machine or instrument) · ga gléasra (assortment of tools or instruments) · ru аппара́т (complex machine or instrument) · pl aparat (assortment of tools or instruments) · ro aparat (complex machine or instrument) · fi järjestelmä (entirety of means for a specific end) · bg уред (gymnastics: equipment) · id perangkat (assortment of tools or instruments) · hu berendezés (complex machine or instrument) · cs aparát (bureaucratic organization) · lt aparatas (complex machine or instrument) · fa-ira دَسْتْگاه (complex machine or instrument) · nl apparaat (assortment of tools or instruments) · ja 機器 (assortment of tools or instruments) · eo aparato (complex machine or instrument) · hi उपकरण (complex machine or instrument) · da apparat (entirety of means for a specific end) · sh apàrāt (complex machine or instrument) · bg прибори (assortment of tools or instruments) · bg уред (assortment of tools or instruments) · sk aparát (bureaucratic organization) · pt aparelho (complex machine or instrument) · pl instrumentarium (entirety of means for a specific end) · lv aparāts (complex machine or instrument) · da apparat (assortment of tools or instruments) · nb apparat (complex machine or instrument) · da maskineri (bureaucratic organization) · bg оръдие (assortment of tools or instruments) · sv apparatur (assortment of tools or instruments) · fi mekanismi (complex machine or instrument) · da maskineri (complex machine or instrument) · it sistema (bureaucratic organization) · id radas (complex machine or instrument) · cy cyfarpar (assortment of tools or instruments) · uz apparat (complex machine or instrument) · ko 기구 (bureaucratic organization) · ko 기구 (assortment of tools or instruments) · ru аппара́т (assortment of tools or instruments) · fi teline (gymnastics: equipment) · pl aparat (bureaucratic organization) · bg апара́т (bureaucratic organization) · da maskineri (assortment of tools or instruments) · id alat (complex machine or instrument) · ru предме́т (rhythmic gymnastics: object) · tl lansungan (complex machine or instrument) · pt equipamento (complex machine or instrument) · ja 装置 (complex machine or instrument) · pt sistema (bureaucratic organization) · bg апара́т (complex machine or instrument) · el σύστημα (complex machine or instrument) · ru обору́дование (assortment of tools or instruments) · tg олат (complex machine or instrument) · pl aparatura (entirety of means for a specific end) · ms radas (complex machine or instrument) · hy ապարատ (bureaucratic organization) · et aparaat (complex machine or instrument) · gsw Abberahd (complex machine or instrument) · cmn 裝置 /装置 (complex machine or instrument) · he מַנְגָּנוֹן (assortment of tools or instruments) · sq dhënës (complex machine or instrument) · tg дастгоҳ (complex machine or instrument) · he מַכְשִׁיר (complex machine or instrument) · ml സംവിധാനം (entirety of means for a specific end) · da apparat (bureaucratic organization) · ru аппара́т (bureaucratic organization) · id aparat (complex machine or instrument) · grc κατασκεύασμα (complex machine or instrument) · pt aparato (assortment of tools or instruments) · ar آلَة (complex machine or instrument) · be апара́т (complex machine or instrument) · tg асбоб (complex machine or instrument) · rgn aparê (complex machine or instrument) · ky аппарат (complex machine or instrument) · es aparato (assortment of tools or instruments) · kk аппарат (complex machine or instrument) · fr appareil (bureaucratic organization) · nl apparaat (bureaucratic organization) · vi bộ máy (entirety of means for a specific end) · bg апарат (entirety of means for a specific end) · he מַעֲרֶכֶת (bureaucratic organization) · de Apparat (bureaucratic organization) · ro echipament (assortment of tools or instruments) · it apparecchio (assortment of tools or instruments) · rgn aparêt (complex machine or instrument) · bg такъм (assortment of tools or instruments) · bg приспособление (assortment of tools or instruments) · ar أَدَاة (complex machine or instrument) · de Apparat (assortment of tools or instruments) · tl lansong (complex machine or instrument) · ms radas (assortment of tools or instruments) · bg принадлежности (assortment of tools or instruments) · fi laitteisto (complex machine or instrument) · pt aparato (bureaucratic organization) · ml ഉപകരണം (complex machine or instrument) · be апара́т (bureaucratic organization) · tg аппарат (complex machine or instrument) · de Apparat (complex machine or instrument) · fi koneisto (complex machine or instrument) · fr appareil (complex machine or instrument) · ar جِهَاز (complex machine or instrument) · pt aparato (complex machine or instrument) · pl aparatura (assortment of tools or instruments) · es aparato (complex machine or instrument) · ro aparatură (assortment of tools or instruments) · es aparataje (assortment of tools or instruments) · pdt Aparat (complex machine or instrument) · ka აპარატი (bureaucratic organization) · ru аппарату́ра (assortment of tools or instruments) · sv apparat (complex machine or instrument) · bg инструме́нти (assortment of tools or instruments) · pl instrumentarium (assortment of tools or instruments) · id peranti (complex machine or instrument) · fi koneisto (entirety of means for a specific end) · izh kapine (complex machine or instrument) · it attrezzatura (complex machine or instrument)