English Café: Meaning of Auxiliary vs. Accessory

Advanced Details: Meaning of auxiliary vs. accessory

Auxiliary and accessory are terms that are highly similar. An auxiliary person or item provides extra help or support, e.g., an auxiliary nurse. For us at PTTEP, the term auxiliary is often used when we are discussing engineering.

Accessory is a more general term that means an object or device that is not essential in itself but adds to the beauty, convenience, or effectiveness of something else. For us at PTTEP, an accessory is added on to make something else better, e.g., a clothing item or auto accessories.

Use auxiliary in your engineering writing more than accessory. Watch the video for examples.