Appendage
/əˈpɛn.dɪdʒ/noun
A part or structure attached to or projecting from a larger body or object.
Did you know?Appendage comes from Latin appendere, “to hang upon,” the same ancient root behind pendant and pendulum—words that preserve the imagery of suspended objects.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pend-
“To hang, stretch, or weigh”
Ancient Latin
Latin
pendere
“To hang; later also to weigh or pay”
Classical Latin
Latin
appendere
“To hang something onto or attach it to another thing”
Medieval Latin
Latin
appendāgium
“An addition or attachment”
14th Century
Old French
appendage
“An attachment or accessory part”
15th Century
English
appendage
“Something attached or added”
Modern English
English
appendage
“A projecting or attached part, especially of an organism”