appliance

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ap=pli=ance

CIDE DICTIONARY

appliance, n. 

•  The act of applying; application.  [1913 Webster]
•  subservience; compliance.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  A thing applied or used as a means to an end; an apparatus or device; as, to use various appliances; a mechanical appliance; a machine with its appliances.  [1913 Webster]
•  An apparatus or device, usually powered electrically, used in homes to perform domestic functions. An appliance is often categorized as a major appliance or a minor appliance by its cost. Common major appliances are the refrigerator, washing machine, clothes drier, oven, and dishwasher. Some minor appliances are a toaster, vacuum cleaner or microwave oven.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

appliance, n. a device or piece of equipment used for a specific task.

Etymology

APPLY + -ANCE

THESAURUS

appliance

Charlie McCarthy, accommodation, accouterments, active use, advantage, agent, amenity, ancilla, apparatus, appliances, application, appointments, appurtenance, appurtenances, armament, brassware, chinaware, clayware, consumption, contrivance, convenience, conveniences, copperware, creature, device, dinnerware, drive, duffel, dummy, dupe, durable goods, durables, earthenware, employ, employment, enamelware, equipage, equipment, exercise, exertion, facilities, facility, fittings, fixture, fixtures, flatware, furnishings, furniture, gear, glassware, go-between, good use, graniteware, handmaid, handmaiden, hard goods, hard usage, hard use, hardware, hollow ware, housefurnishings, housewares, ill use, impedimenta, implement, installations, instrument, interagent, intermediary, intermediate, intermedium, ironmongery, ironware, kit, kitchenware, lever, machine, machinery, materiel, mechanical aid, mechanical device, mechanism, mediator, medium, metalware, midwife, minion, misuse, motive power, motor, munition, munitions, operation, organ, outfit, ovenware, paraphernalia, pawn, plant, play, plaything, plumbing, power plant, power source, puppet, rig, rigging, rough usage, servant, silverware, slave, sporting goods, stock-in-trade, stoneware, stooge, tableware, tackle, things, tinware, tool, tools and machinery, toy, usage, use, using up, utensils, utility, vehicle, white goods, woodenware, wrong use

ROGET THESAURUS

appliance

Use

N use, employ, employment, exercise, exercitation, application, appliance, adhibition, disposal, consumption, agency, usufruct, usefulness, benefit, recourse, resort, avail, utilization, service, wear, usage, in use, used, well-worn, well-trodden, useful, subservient.