What does accessory mean?
An accessory is something added to a main object or outfit to make it more useful, attractive, or complete. Handbags, belts, scarves, and jewellery are classic fashion accessories, while phone chargers and cases are accessories to electronic devices. The word also has a serious legal meaning: an accessory to a crime is a person who knowingly helps someone commit an offence or assists in concealing it afterwards, even without being present at the scene. Law distinguishes an accessory before the fact, who aids in planning or enabling the crime, from an accessory after the fact, who helps the offender evade capture or justice. The everyday sense carries pleasant connotations of style and enhancement, whereas the legal sense implies complicity and guilt. Derived from the Latin accedere, meaning 'to approach' or 'to be added', the word entered English in the late medieval period and remains common in fashion, retail, technology, and legal contexts alike.
A thing added to something else to make it more useful, attractive, or complete, such as an item of dress or a device attachment.
"The store sells handbags, belts, and other fashion accessories."
Often used attributively in phrases like 'fashion accessory' or 'car accessories'.
A person who knowingly helps another commit a crime or assists in concealing it afterwards.
"She was arrested as an accessory after the fact for hiding the stolen goods."
Chiefly used in legal contexts; 'accessory before the fact' denotes aiding the planning or commission of a crime, while 'accessory after the fact' denotes helping conceal it.
The plural 'accessories' is standard and very common, especially in retail and fashion contexts where multiple supplementary items are sold or worn together.
"The boutique stocks a wide selection of leather accessories."
In law you can be convicted as an accessory without ever touching the loot — simply helping someone cover up a crime makes you one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accessory
Accessory derives from the medieval Latin accessorius, meaning 'additional' or 'accessory', which itself comes from the Latin verb accedere ('to approach, to be added to'), formed from ad- ('toward') plus cedere ('to go'). It entered English in the late medieval period, initially in legal use describing a person associated with a crime, before extending to its modern sense of a supplementary object. It shares this root with related English words such as access, accessible, and accession.
How accessory is actually used
In the criminal sense, 'accessory before the fact' refers to someone who helps plan or enable a crime, while 'accessory after the fact' refers to someone who knowingly helps conceal it. The everyday sense is neutral in tone, while the legal sense carries strong negative connotations.
Easily confused with accessory
Accessary is an older legal variant spelling used specifically for the criminal sense, while accessory is now the standard spelling for both the legal and everyday senses.