Definition of: appendage

(ə·pen′dij) noun
1. Anything appended; a subordinate addition or adjunct: a mere appendage.
2. Biol. a Any part joined to or diverging from the axial trunk or from any adjunct of it. b A subordinate or subsidiary part, as a limb, tail, leaf, hair, etc. Synonyms: accessory, accompaniment, addendum, addition, adjunct, appendix, appurtenance, attachment, auxiliary, concomitant, extension, increase, supplement. An adjunct constitutes no real part of the thing or system to which it is joined; an appendage is commonly a real, but not an essential or necessary, part of that with which it is connected; an appurtenance belongs subordinately to something by which it is employed, especially as an instrument to accomplish some purpose. An attachment in machinery is some mechanism that can be brought into optional connection with the principal movement; a hemmer is an attachment of a sewing machine. An extension, as of a railroad or of a franchise, adds to something already existing. See SUPPLEMENT.