apparatus
/æp.əˈɹæt.uːs/ noun
Forms apparatuses apparatusses apparati
- noun The entirety of means whereby a specific production is made existent or task accomplished.
- noun A complex machine or instrument.
- noun (collective) An assortment of tools and instruments.
- noun A bureaucratic organization, especially one influenced by political patronage.
- noun (firefighting) A vehicle used for emergency response.
- noun (gymnastics) Any of the equipment on which the gymnasts perform their movements.
- noun (rhythmic gymnastics) Any of the objects that the gymnasts wield while performing and used as part of the performance itself.
- noun (video games) A complex, highly modified weapon (typically not a firearm); a weaponized “Rube Goldberg machine.”
Synonyms
dynamic mechanism setup device instrument machinery tools gear equipment machine
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin apparātus. Doublet of apparat.
From Latin apparātūs, the nominative plural form of apparātus; the circumflex exists to distinguish the long vowel of the plural from the short vowel of the singular, avoiding homography.
From Latin apparātūs, the nominative plural form of apparātus; the macron exists to distinguish the long vowel of the plural from the short vowel of the singular, avoiding homography.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Things provided as means to some end.
- noun Hence: A full collection or set of implements, or utensils, for a given duty, experimental or operative; any complex instrument or appliance, mechanical or chemical, for a specific action or operation; machinery; mechanism.
Etymology [L., from apparare, apparatum, to prepare; ad + prepare to make ready.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “apparatus”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details