appliance

Definition

An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end, especially

Etymology

Recorded since the 1560s. From the English apply + -ance.

Example Sentences

• "Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude; And in the calmest and most stillest night, With all appliances and means to boot, Deny it to a king?"
• "“[…] Oh, the pipe! won’t you have it lit again, father?” said Eppie, lifting that medicinal appliance from the ground."
• "[…] sleeping life waiting to be spread and dispersed, every seed armed with an appliance of dispersal, twisting darts and parachutes for the wind, little spears and balls of tiny thorns, and all waiting for animals and for the wind, for a man’s trouser cuff or the hem of a woman’s skirt […]"