What does appliance mean?
An appliance is a device or piece of equipment designed to carry out a specific household task, most commonly one involving cooking, cleaning, food preservation, or climate control. In contemporary English the word overwhelmingly refers to electrical or gas-powered domestic machines — refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves, and similar items — and appears constantly in retail, advertising, home insurance, and property contexts. Colloquially, large items such as stoves and refrigerators are sometimes called 'white goods', while smaller items like toasters and kettles are known as 'small appliances'. Although 'appliance' can technically denote the act of applying something to a purpose, this older meaning has largely fallen out of use. Derived from the Latin applicare ('to attach or apply'), the word entered English through Old French and shifted toward its modern concrete sense as mechanised household equipment became widespread. Today it is an ordinary, neutral term with no strong connotations, valued chiefly for its precision when describing domestic machinery.
A device or piece of equipment designed to perform a specific household task, especially one powered by electricity or gas.
"The estate agent noted that all kitchen appliances were included in the sale of the house."
Often divided commercially into 'major appliances' (large items like refrigerators) and 'small appliances' (items like kettles and blenders).
The act of applying something; the state of being put to practical use (an older, now largely obsolete sense).
"Early medical texts spoke of the appliance of a poultice to the affected area."
The plural is standard and commonly used, particularly in retail and property contexts where multiple devices are referenced together.
"The apartment comes fully furnished with all modern appliances."
The word 'appliance' originally meant the very act of applying something — only in the age of electricity did it come to mean the machines that do our chores for us.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of appliance
The word 'appliance' derives from the Latin verb applicare, meaning 'to attach, apply, or bring into contact with something', which passed into English via Old French forms of the same root. It is therefore closely related to words such as 'apply' and 'application'. In early modern English, from around the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, 'appliance' referred primarily to the act of applying something or to a tool used for a purpose. Its modern, dominant sense — a mechanical or electrical household device — developed later, becoming firmly established during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as domestic machinery became commonplace.
How appliance is actually used
In modern usage, 'appliance' almost always refers to electrical or gas-powered household equipment. The term is common in both everyday and commercial contexts, particularly in retail, real estate listings, and home improvement. The older, abstract sense relating to the act of applying is largely obsolete.
Easily confused with appliance
An appliance typically refers to a larger household machine performing a domestic task, while a device is any small tool or instrument designed for a particular function.