Accouterment (pronounced uh-koo-ter-muhnt or uh-koo-truh-muhnt)
(1) A
clothing accessory or a piece of equipment regarded as an accessory (sometimes essential,
sometimes not, depending on context).
(2) In
military jargon, a piece of equipment carried by a soldier, excluding weapons
and items of uniform.
(3) By
extension, an identifying yet superficial characteristic; a characteristic feature,
object, or sign associated with a particular niche, role, situation etc.
(4) The
act of accoutering; furnishing (archaic since Middle English).
1540-1550:
From the Middle French accoutrement
& accoustrement, from accoustrer, from the Old French acostrer (arrange, sew up). As in English, in French, the noun accoutrement
was used usually in the plural (accoutrements) in the sense of “personal
clothing and equipment”, from accoustrement,
from accoustrer, from the Old French acostrer (arrange, dispose, put on
(clothing); sew up). In French, the word
was used in a derogatory way to refer to “over-elaborate clothing” but was used
neutrally in the kitchen, chefs using the word of additions to food which
enhanced the flavor. The verb accouter (also accoutre) (to dress or equip" (especially in military uniforms
and other gear), was from the French acoutrer,
from the thirteenth century acostrer (arrange,
dispose, put on (clothing)), from the Vulgar Latin accosturare (to sew together, sew up), the construct being ad- (to) + consutura (a sewing together), from consutus, past participle of consuere
(to sew together), the construct being con-
+ suere (to sew), from the primitive
Indo-European root syu- (to bind, sew).
The Latin prefix con- was from the preposition cum (with), from the Old Latin com, from the Proto-Italic kom, from the primitive Indo- European ḱóm (next to, at, with, along). It was cognate with the Proto-Germanic ga- (co-), the Proto-Slavic sъ(n) (with)
and the Proto-Germanic hansō. It was used with certain words to add a
notion similar to those conveyed by with, together, or joint or with certain
words to intensify their meaning. The synonyms include equipment, gear, trappings & accessory. The spelling accoutrement (accoutrements the
plural) remains common in the UK and much of the English-speaking world which
emerged from the old British Empire; the spelling in North America universally
is accouterement. The English spelling
reflects the French pronunciation used in the sixteenth century. Accouterment is a noun; the noun plural (by
far the most commonly used form) is accouterments.
In
the military, the equipment supplied to (and at different times variously worn
or carried by) personnel tends to be divided into "materiel" and
"accouterments". Between
countries, at the margins, there are differences in classification but as a
general principle: Materiel: The core equipment, supplies, vehicles, platforms etc
used by a military force to conduct its operations. This definition casts a wide vista and covers
everything from a bayonet to an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM),
from motorcycles to tanks and from radio equipment to medical supplies. Essentially, in the military, “materiel” is used
broadly to describe tangible assets and resources used in the core business of
war. Accouterments: These are the items or accessories associated with a
specific activity or role. Is some
cases, an item classified as an accouterment could with some justification be
called materiel and there is often a tradition associated with the classification. In the context of clothing for example, the basic
uniform is materiel whereas things like belts, holsters, webbing and pouches
are accouterments, even though the existence of these pieces is essential to
the efficient operation of weapons which are certainly materiel.
The My Scene Goes Hollywood Lindsay Lohan Doll was supplied with a range of accessories and accouterments. Items like sunglasses, handbags, shoes & boots, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and the faux fur "mullet" frock-coat were probably accessories. The director's chair, laptop, popcorn, magazines, DVD, makeup case, stanchions (with faux velvet rope) and such were probably accouterments.
In
the fashion business, one perhaps might be able to create the criteria by which
it could be decided whether a certain item should be classified as “an accessory”
or “an “accouterment” but it seems a significantly pointless exercise and were
one to reverse the index, a list of accessories would likely be as convincing
as a list of accouterments. Perhaps the
most plausible distinction would be to suggest accessories are items added to an outfit to enhance or complete the
look (jewelry, handbags, scarves, hats, sunglasses, belts et al) while accouterments are something
thematically related but in some way separate; while one might choose the same
accessories for an outfit regardless of the event to be attended, the choice of
accouterments might be event-specific.
So, the same scarf might be worn because it works so well with the dress
but the binoculars would be added only if going to the races, the former an accessory
to the outfit, the latter an accouterment for a day at the track. That seems as close as possible to a working
definition but many will continue to use the terms interchangeably.
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