Dictionary

auxiliary en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɔːkˈsɪl-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɔːɡˈzɪl.i.ə.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɑɡˈzɪl.i.ɛɹ.i/ (cot-caught-merger)
• /ɔɡˈzɪl.(jə).ɹi/ (General-American)
• /ɔːɡˈzɪl.(j)ə.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɔɡˈzɪl.i.ɛɹ.i/ (General-American)
• /ɑɡˈzɪl.(jə).ɹi/ (cot-caught-merger)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From Latin auxiliārius (“assistant, ally”), equiv. to auxiliāris (“helping, aiding”), from auxilium (“help, aid”), from augēre (“to increase”).

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Helping; giving assistance or support.
   • auxiliary troops
2. (not-comparable) Supplementary or subsidiary.
3. (not-comparable) Held in reserve for exceptional circumstances.
4. (not-comparable) Of a ship, having both sails and an engine.
5. (not-comparable) Relating to an auxiliary verb.

Synonyms

motorsailer (having sails and engine) · accessory (supplementary) · accessory · ancillary

Translations (105)

cy atodol (supplementary or subsidiary) · sv nöd- (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · nl extra (supplementary or subsidiary) · fr auxiliaire (relating to an auxiliary verb) · pl pomocnicza (helping; giving assistance or support) · ja 補助の (helping; giving assistance or support) · hu segédigei (relating to an auxiliary verb) · hi सहायक (helping; giving assistance or support) · fi apumoottorillinen (of a ship, having both sails and an engine) · de zurückhaltend (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · ca auxiliar (helping; giving assistance or support) · de auxiliar (helping; giving assistance or support) · el επικουρικός (supplementary or subsidiary) · sv komplement- (supplementary or subsidiary) · el αποθεματικός (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · nl hulp- (helping; giving assistance or support) · pl pomocnicze (helping; giving assistance or support) · bg спомагателен (helping; giving assistance or support) · ja 助動詞の (relating to an auxiliary verb) · pt auxiliar (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · fi apu- (relating to an auxiliary verb) · ru дополни́тельный (supplementary or subsidiary) · eo helpa (helping; giving assistance or support) · ko 보조 (helping; giving assistance or support) · de subsidiär (supplementary or subsidiary) · sv hjälp- (helping; giving assistance or support) · pl pomocniczy (helping; giving assistance or support) · fi apu- (supplementary or subsidiary) · no hjelpe- (relating to an auxiliary verb) · hu segéd- (helping; giving assistance or support) · sh príčuvnī (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · hu kiegészítő (supplementary or subsidiary) · de unterstützend (supplementary or subsidiary) · io helpanta (helping; giving assistance or support) · pl posiłkowa (relating to an auxiliary verb) · ru вспомога́тельный (relating to an auxiliary verb) · cmn 附属 (supplementary or subsidiary) · bg допълнителен (supplementary or subsidiary) · pt auxiliar (helping; giving assistance or support) · et täiendav (supplementary or subsidiary) · pt auxiliar (relating to an auxiliary verb) · io helpiva (helping; giving assistance or support) · vi phụ trợ (supplementary or subsidiary) · fi avustava (helping; giving assistance or support) · nl helpend (helping; giving assistance or support) · cy ategol (helping; giving assistance or support) · nl hulp- (supplementary or subsidiary) · ru вспомога́тельный (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · ru запасно́й (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · hu tartalék (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · nl bijkomend (supplementary or subsidiary) · pl posiłkowy (relating to an auxiliary verb) · sh pòmoćnī (relating to an auxiliary verb) · pt auxiliar (supplementary or subsidiary) · nl met hulpmotor (of a ship, having both sails and an engine) · ca auxiliar (supplementary or subsidiary) · nl ondersteunend (supplementary or subsidiary) · ga cúntach (helping; giving assistance or support) · el ανταλλακτικός (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · nl ondersteunend (helping; giving assistance or support) · fi lisä- (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · ml സഹായക (relating to an auxiliary verb) · de helfend (helping; giving assistance or support) · zza peştiger (helping; giving assistance or support) · de hilfs- (helping; giving assistance or support) · ru дополни́тельный (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · pl rezerwowa (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · no hjelpeverb (relating to an auxiliary verb) · pl rezerwowe (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · la auxiliāris (helping; giving assistance or support) · hu kisegítő (helping; giving assistance or support) · ru вспомога́тельный (helping; giving assistance or support) · ca auxiliar (relating to an auxiliary verb) · ru запасно́й (supplementary or subsidiary) · sq auksilari (helping; giving assistance or support) · fi apu- (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · cy ategol (relating to an auxiliary verb) · cs pomocný (helping; giving assistance or support) · sh spȍredan (supplementary or subsidiary) · bg спомагателен (relating to an auxiliary verb) · cmn 助动词 (relating to an auxiliary verb) · es auxiliar (supplementary or subsidiary) · bg помощен (helping; giving assistance or support) · pl posiłkowe (relating to an auxiliary verb) · hy օժանդակ (helping; giving assistance or support) · ja 補助艦艇の (of a ship, having both sails and an engine) · sv reserv- (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · cmn 輔助 /辅助 (helping; giving assistance or support) · fi apu- (helping; giving assistance or support) · sv stöd- (supplementary or subsidiary) · nl reserve- (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · sh ùsputan (supplementary or subsidiary) · hy օժանդակ (supplementary or subsidiary) · fi lisä- (helping; giving assistance or support) · et abistav (helping; giving assistance or support) · bg резервен (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · la auxiliāris (supplementary or subsidiary) · ru вспомога́тельный (supplementary or subsidiary) · el δευτερεύων (supplementary or subsidiary) · pl rezerwowy (held in reserve for exceptional circumstances) · nl hulp- (relating to an auxiliary verb) · sh ȕzgrēdan (supplementary or subsidiary) · de unterstützend (helping; giving assistance or support) · el βοηθητικός (helping; giving assistance or support) · sh pòmoćnī (helping; giving assistance or support)

auxiliary en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɔːkˈsɪl-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɔːɡˈzɪl.i.ə.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɑɡˈzɪl.i.ɛɹ.i/ (cot-caught-merger)
• /ɔɡˈzɪl.(jə).ɹi/ (General-American)
• /ɔːɡˈzɪl.(j)ə.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɔɡˈzɪl.i.ɛɹ.i/ (General-American)
• /ɑɡˈzɪl.(jə).ɹi/ (cot-caught-merger)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From Latin auxiliārius (“assistant, ally”), equiv. to auxiliāris (“helping, aiding”), from auxilium (“help, aid”), from augēre (“to increase”).

Meanings

1. A person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner.
   • A drive to exploit the Highlands as a winter sports area, with all the necessary auxiliaries, such as chair lifts in the Cairngorms, shows increasing promise, […]. 1962 September, G. Freeman Allen, “The New Look in Scotland's Northern Division—1”, in Modern Railways, page 163:
   • Auxiliaries and ancillaries are comprehensive, and include a Westinghouse motor-driven recriprocating compressor used for locomotive braking and general service air, two rotary exhauster sets for train brakes when hauling passenger or fitted freight trains, and an oil-fired train heating boiler. 1950 November, “Mixed-Traffic Diesel-Electric Locomotives for Ireland”, in Railway Magazine, page 781:
   • Summer “felt betrayed” that a close friend had used AI as “an auxiliary” to talk to her. 2025 June 30, Adrienne Matei, “‘Hey man, I’m so sorry for your loss’: should you use AI to text?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
2. A sailing vessel equipped with an engine.
3. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of auxiliary verb.
   alt of auxiliary verb
   • The three traditionally recognized Non-modal Auxiliaries are the per- fective Auxiliary have, the progressive Auxiliary be, and the passive Auxiliary be. Perfective have is so-called because it marks the completion (hence, perfec- tion) of an action; it is followed by a VP headed by a perfective -n participle, as in: (121) The referee has [_(VP) shown him the red card] 1988, Andrew Radford, Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 151:
4. A marching band color guard.

Forms

Deriveds

auxiliary language · auxlang · auxiliary cell · Auxie · ladies' auxiliary · perfect auxiliary · auxiliarist · auxiliary bishop · auxiliary power unit · international auxiliary language · electroauxiliary · semiauxiliary · auxiliarily · auxiliary storage · auxiliary oiler · nonauxiliary · auxiliary cruiser · nurse auxiliary · modal auxiliary · auxiliary ego

Relateds

augment · augmentation · auctioneer · auction · axillary

Translations (26)

sv auxiliärmaskin (sailing vessel equipped with an engine) · io helpero (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · ota امدادجی (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · fi avustaja (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · es auxiliar (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · io helpivo (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · ota ناصر (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · de Helfer (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · io helpanto (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · bg помощник (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · it ausiliare (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · io helpilo (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · sv hjälpmaskin (sailing vessel equipped with an engine) · ru ассисте́нт (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · tr yardımcı (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · pt auxiliar (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · nl zeilboot met hulpmotor (sailing vessel equipped with an engine) · ru помо́щник (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · ja 補助艦艇 (sailing vessel equipped with an engine) · ota یاردمجی (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · mi whaitaua (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · de Hilfskraft (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · ru подсо́бник (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · ja 補助者 (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · es ayudante (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner) · la auxiliāris (person or group that acts in an auxiliary manner)