ancillary
adjective
Did you know?
If you’re already familiar with ancillary, pull up a chair and help yourself to a side dish of trivia. The word comes from the Latin word ancilla, meaning "a female servant," which also gave us the rarer English word ancilla, meaning "an aid to achieving or mastering something difficult." While the English ancilla (which made its debut a couple of centuries after ancillary) is unlikely to be encountered except in very specialized contexts (such as philosophy or quantum computing), ancillary picks up on the notion of providing aid or support in a way that supplements something else. In particular, the word often describes something that is in a position of secondary importance, such as the "ancillary products in a company's line."
Examples of ancillary in a Sentence
Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated, 21 Nov. 2005
I am in love with a man who is in love with boats. As far as ancillary loves are concerned, I understand things could be worse. Sadly, I do not love boats.
—Ann Patchett, Gourmet, May 2003
Traditionally museums have been built to house collections, and for ancillary functions such as storage, conservation, administration, and education.
—Jayne Merkel, Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2002
Paleolithic hunters and gatherers obtained an abundance of complete protein, mostly from wild game; their vegetable foods were an ancillary protein source. This pattern prevailed until agriculture transformed it, shifting the human diet away from meat and toward plant food.
—S. Boyd Eaton et al., The Paleolithic Prescription, 1988
The company hopes to boost its sales by releasing ancillary products.
Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Doyen said one of the most difficult parts of her hotel’s emptiness is her inability to deliver more visitors, activities and, therefore, ancillary revenue for her neighbors.
—Whitney Wild, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
The Biden administration has taken a hard look at ancillary airline revenue, and Congress is considering different legislation to crack down on airline seating fees.
—Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
This means understanding and being responsive to the needs of frontline workers in areas like predictable/flexible scheduling, adequate ancillary staffing, training, IT support, facilities maintenance, billing, provision of medical records, team member recognition, and, yes, compensation.
—Web Golinkin, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Rising above the cacophony of distractions and all of the ancillary bombast, in the middle of the emerald rectangle at the center of a stadium, Patrick Mahomes was elevating, lifting to a place where athletes become eternal.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2024
Allegiant is based in Las Vegas and operates like a budget airline, charging ancillary fees for baggage, seat assignments, and more.
—Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 12 Feb. 2024
Meek wasn’t accused of any misconduct and was an ancillary footnote of the lawsuit.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024
Instead, ancillary fees should be taxed at the same rate as airfare.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ancillary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ancillary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ancillary. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
ancillary
1 of 2 adjectiveancillary
2 of 2 noun
Legal Definition
ancillary
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on ancillary
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ancillary
Nglish: Translation of ancillary for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ancillary for Arabic Speakers
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