apparatus

(ăp'ə-răt'əs, -rā'təs)
n., pl., apparatus, or -us·es.

1. 1. An appliance or device for a particular purpose: an x-ray apparatus.
   2. An integrated group of materials or devices used for a particular purpose: dental apparatus. See synonyms at equipment.
2. 1. The totality of means by which a designated function is performed or a specific task executed, as in a system of government.
   2. A political organization or an underground political movement. Also called apparat.
3. Physiology. A group or system of organs that collectively perform a specific function or process: the respiratory apparatus; the digestive apparatus.
4. The critical and source material that accompanies an edition of a text.

[Latin apparātus, preparation, from past participle of apparāre, to prepare : ad-, ad- + parāre, to prepare.]

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is normally pronounced with -rat- as in rate (not as in part). The plural is apparatuses.

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noun

1. Something, as a machine, devised for a particular function: appliance, contraption, contrivance, device. See machine.
2. Things needed for a task, journey, or other purpose: accouterment (often used in plural), equipment, gear, material (used in plural), materiel, outfit, paraphernalia, rig, tackle, thing (used in plural), turnout. See means.

apparatus, a collective term (sometimes given in Latin as apparatus criticus) for the textual notes, glossary, lists of variant readings, appendices, introductory explanations and other aids to the study of a text, provided in scholarly editions of literary works or historical documents.

IN BRIEF: Equipment designed to serve a specific function.

Scientific apparatus offers a window to knowledge, but as they grow more elaborate, scientists spend ever more time washing the windows. — Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)

Tutor's tip: A science teacher can use an "apparatus" (tools or instruments) to demonstrate the laws of physics, while a history teacher can explain the downfall of the "Apparat" (political bureaucracy of the former Russian Communist Party).

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1. an arrangement of a number of parts acting together to perform a special function.
2. certain organ systems such as respiratory or digestive apparatus.

• a. digestorius — see digestive system.
• fetlock joint suspensory a. — see suspensory ligament.
• forelimb stay a. — an apparatus of ligaments and tendons which prevents the forelimb from buckling while the horse is standing for long periods of time; includes mechanisms to prevent flexion of the shoulder and elbow joints, and to prevent overextension or flexion of the carpal joint.
• hindlimb stay a. — an apparatus of ligaments and tendons which prevents the hindlimb from buckling while the horse is standing for long periods of time; includes mechanisms to lock the stifle and hock joints including the presence of a ‘reciprocal apparatus’, which ensures that the two joints perform in unison.
• lacrimal a. — the structures associated with the production, flow and drainage of tears; it includes the lacrimal and accessory glands and their excretory ducts, the lacrimal canals, the lacrimal sac and the nasolacrimal duct.
• reciprocal a. — consists of two tendinous cords in the hindlimb of the horse, the peroneus tertius and the superficial flexor, which connect the distal end of the femur to the hock, one on the cranial face of the tibia, the other on the caudal face; they ensure that the two joints always move in unison.
• Wangensteen's a. — a nasal suction apparatus connected with a duodenal tube for aspirating gas and fluid from the stomach and intestine.

(ap′ərat′us)
n

An arrangement of a number of parts that act together to perform some special function.

For a list of words related to apparatus, see:

• Machinery and Mechanical Devices - apparatus: complex device or machine that has a specific use

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See words rhyming with "apparatus."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Apparatus.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - apparat, instrument

Nederlands (Dutch)
apparaat, apparatuur

Français (French)
n. - appareil, instrument, agrès, équipement, dispositif, mécanisme, (fig) machine (du gouvernement)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Apparat, Gerät

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - συσκευή, διάταξη, μηχάνημα, μηχανήματα, εξοπλισμός, μηχανισμός (κράτους κτλ.)

Italiano (Italian)
apparecchio, apparato, sistema

Português (Portuguese)
n. - aparelho (m), máquina (f), sistema (m) (Fís.)

Русский (Russian)
прибор, инструмент, аппарат

Español (Spanish)
n. - aparato

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - apparat, redskap, instrument

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
仪器, 器械, 器官, 设备, 装置, 机关, 机构, 政党组织

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 儀器, 器械, 器官, 設備, 裝置, 機關, 機構, 政黨組織

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 기계, 기관

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 器具, 装置, 機構, 組織, 器官, 設備

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عدة, ادوات, جهاز‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ציוד, בעיקר לשימוש מדעי או טכני, כלי, מיתקן, מערכת, ארגון פוליטי או ארגון מסובך אחר, איברי הגוף המבצעים תהליך מסוים, הערות המלוות תמליל מודפס ובד"כ מופיעות תחתיו‬

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