auxiliary

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɔɡˈzɪl.(jə).ɹi/ UK /ɔːɡˈzɪl.(j)ə.ɹi/ See IPA manual

Freq #14884

Meanings

1

adj
Giving extra help or support to something more important.

The hospital has an auxiliary power supply for emergencies.
2

noun
A person or group that gives extra help and support.

The fire service relies on trained auxiliaries during major incidents.
3

noun
In grammar, a verb such as "be", "have", or "do" used with another verb to form tenses, questions, and negatives.

In "she has gone", "has" is an auxiliary.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · giving extra help or... supplementary accessory ancillary

2 noun · a person or group that... aide

Word family

Forms auxiliaries

Derived forms auxieauxiliarilyauxiliaristauxlangelectroauxiliarynonauxiliarysemiauxiliary

Related forms auction auctioneer augment augmentation axillary

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

modal auxiliary
an auxiliary verb that expresses meanings such as possibility, necessity, or permission

Adjective + noun

Etymology

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

auxiliārius Latin *h₂ewg- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Language & Linguistics

External links

# auxiliary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ɔɡˈzɪl.(jə).ɹi/
**IPA (UK):** /ɔːɡˈzɪl.(j)ə.ɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 14884

## Meanings
1. Giving extra help or support to something more important.
2. A person or group that gives extra help and support.
3. In grammar, a verb such as "be", "have", or "do" used with another verb to form tenses, questions, and negatives.

## Examples
- The hospital has an auxiliary power supply for emergencies.
- The fire service relies on trained auxiliaries during major incidents.
- In "she has gone", "has" is an auxiliary.

## Derived Forms
- auxie
- auxiliarily
- auxiliarist
- auxlang
- electroauxiliary
- nonauxiliary
- semiauxiliary

## Related Forms
- auction
- auctioneer
- augment
- augmentation
- axillary

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: auxiliārius
- Root: *h₂ewg-

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

## AI Etymology
Auxiliary comes from Latin auxiliārius (“assistant, ally”), equiv. to auxiliāris (“helping, aiding”), from auxilium (“help, aid”), from augēre (“to increase”). The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Language & Linguistics

markdown