| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| paraphernalia |
| |
| SYLLABICATION: | par·a·pher·na·lia |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  p r  -fr-n l y, -f-nly |
| PLURAL NOUN: | (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. Personal belongings. 2. The articles used in a particular activity; equipment: a photographer's paraphernalia. See synonyms at equipment. 3. A married woman's personal property exclusive of her dowry, according to common law. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Medieval Latin paraphernlia, neuter pl. of paraphernlis, pertaining to the parapherna, a married woman's property exclusive of her dowry, from Greek : para-, beyond; see para–1 + phern , dowry; see bher-1 in Appendix I.
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
