# paraphernalia

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌpæɹəfəˈneɪli.ə/ · frequency rank #30,171

## Definitions
1. Miscellaneous items, especially the set of equipment required for a particular activity.
2. Objects that a married woman owns, such as clothing and jewellery, apart from her dowry.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin paraphernālia (“goods which a wife brings over and above her dowry”), use as noun (short for paraphernālia bona (“paraphernal goods”)) of neuter plural of paraphernālis, from Late Latin parapherna + Latin -ālis (suffix forming adjectives), from Ancient Greek παράφερνα (parápherna), a compound of παρά (pará, “beside”) + φερνή (phernḗ, “dowry”). In the propertied classes, a dowry was placed under the control of the husband, while the paraphernalia which she brought with her remained the wife’s property.

## Common misspellings (19)
`apraphernalia`, `paarphernalia`, `parahpernalia`, `parapehrnalia`, `paraphenralia`, `parapheranlia`, `paraphernaila`, `paraphernalai`, `paraphernallia`, `paraphernlaia`, `paraphernnalia`, `parapherrnalia`, `paraphhernalia`, `paraphrenalia`, `parapphernalia`, `parpahernalia`, `parraphernalia`, `pparaphernalia`, `praaphernalia`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/paraphernalia