appliance

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A machine or device used in the home, such as a fridge or washing machine.

   The new flat comes with all the kitchen appliances included.

2. 2
   noun

   A piece of equipment designed for a specific task.

   Firefighters arrived with a special rescue appliance.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Appliance entered English in the mid-16th century. An early sense was “the application of something,” although this later became rare or obsolete, while the word generally came to mean “a device designed to perform a specific task.” It is related to apply, which was formed from the Latin elements ad-, “to,” and plicare, “to fold.”

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

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary