noun
paraphernalia
pa-ruh-fuh-NAY-lee-uh
noun
1
A miscellaneous collection of items, especially equipment associated with a particular activity.
"The garage was full of camping paraphernalia."
"Police found drug paraphernalia during the search."
How to Use Paraphernalia
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAll the odds-and-ends gear that goes along with doing something — usually treated as a plural mass, not counted individually.
Common mistake
Always used as a collective noun — you don't say "a paraphernalia" or "two paraphernalias."
Common pairings
drug paraphernalia
camping paraphernalia
assorted paraphernalia
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Etymology
From Medieval Latin paraphernalia, "goods belonging to a wife beyond her dowry," from Greek para- ("beside") + pherne ("dowry"). The word broadened from a legal term for a wife's personal property into "assorted gear" generally.