noun

apparatus

ap-uh-RAY-tuhs

noun

A set of equipment or machinery used for a particular purpose.

"The lab was filled with strange apparatus for the chemistry experiment."

"Firefighters unloaded their apparatus from the truck."

A complex organizational or bureaucratic structure.

"The party's political apparatus controlled nearly every local election."

How to Use Apparatus

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither physical equipment for a task, or a large, often bureaucratic system that supports some activity.

Common pairings

scientific apparatus state apparatus party apparatus

apparatuses plural, apparatusses plural, apparatus plural, apparatûs plural, apparatūs plural, apparati plural

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The lab was filled with strange _____ for the chemistry experiment.

From Latin apparatus, "preparation, equipment," from ad- ("toward") plus parare ("to prepare").

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