Accouterment

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /É™.ˈku.tÉš.mÉ™nt/

Alternative forms

• commonwealth accoutrement

Origin

• First attested in the 1540's.
• accouter + -ment
• From Middle French accoustrement, from accoustrer, from Old French acostrer ("arrange, sew up").

Full definition of accouterment

Noun

1. The act of accoutering.
2. An article of clothing or equipment, in particular when used as an accessory.
3. (pluralonly) apparatus needed for a task or journey.
4. (military, pluralonly) Equipment other than weapons and uniform.
5. (pluralonly) trappings.
6. An identifying yet superficial characteristic.
• 2012, June 26, Genevieve Koski, Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe, But musical ancestry aside, the influence to which Bieber is most beholden is the current trends in pop music, which means Believe is loaded up with EDM accouterments, seeking a comfortable middle ground where Bieber’s impressively refined pop-R&B croon can rub up on techno blasts and garish dubstep drops (and occasionally grind on some AutoTune, not necessarily because it needs it, but because a certain amount of robo-voice is expected these days).

Anagrams

• accoutrement