auxiliary

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Giving extra help or support to something more important.

   The hospital has an auxiliary power supply for emergencies.

2. 2
   noun

   A person or group that gives extra help and support.

   The fire service relies on trained auxiliaries during major incidents.

3. 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.

Common collocations

• modal auxiliary Adjective + noun

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

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images