accessary
/əkˈsɛs(ə)ɹi/ noun, adjective
Also a form of accessory
Forms accessaries accessory
- noun (law) Someone who accedes to some act, now especially a crime; one who contributes as an assistant or instigator to the commission of an offense.
- adjective (law) Accompanying as a subordinate; additional; accessory; especially, uniting in, or contributing to, a crime, but not as chief actor. See accessory.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English accessarie, axcessary, excercary, from Medieval Latin accessārius.
Borrowed from Medieval Latin accessārius.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Accompanying, as a subordinate; additional; accessory; esp., uniting in, or contributing to, a crime, but not as chief actor. See Accessory.
- noun One who, not being present, contributes as an assistant or instigator to the commission of an offense. Accessary before the fact (Law), one who commands or counsels an offense, not being present at its commission.
Etymology [Cf. Accessory and LL. accessarius.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “accessary”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details