auxiliary
UK[ɔːɡˈzɪliəri]US[ɔːɡˈzɪliəri]
adj
providing supplementary or additional help and support.
n
a person or thing that provides supplementary or additional help.
Morpheme Breakdown
auxili
ary
auxili
increase
ary
pertaining to
Etymology
the word auxiliary originates from the latin 'auxilium', meaning help or aid. this latin term is derived from the verb 'augere', meaning to increase or promote, which has its roots in the proto-indo-european base aug-, signifying to increase. the suffix -ary, from latin -arius, denotes a connection or relation. thus, the literal sense of 'auxiliary' is 'pertaining to providing an increase or supplement of help'. over time, this evolved from a concrete sense of military reinforcements to the broader modern meaning of providing supplementary support in any context.
Analysis
Structure: auxili (increase) + ary (pertaining to)
auxili is from latin 'auxilium', meaning help, aid, or reinforcement. ary is a latin-derived suffix forming adjectives meaning 'pertaining to' or 'connected with'.
Examples
the hospital has an auxiliary power generator in case of a blackout.
she worked as an auxiliary nurse while studying for her degree.
the verb "have" is used as an auxiliary to form perfect tenses in english.