What is the difference between ancillary and auxiliary

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Ancillary carries with it the idea of support for main goals: providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, institution, industry, or system : the development of ancillary services to support its products.

Auxiliary has connotations of supplementary or "extra" help: providing supplementary or additional help and support : an auxiliary nurse auxiliary airport staff. Improve this answer. Robusto Robusto k 37 37 gold badges silver badges bronze badges. Interesting, I would have exactly switched those two connotations Billare: I'd have given the same connotations as Robusto, but Merriam Webster basically gives both definitions for both words, even giving "auxiliary" as one of the definitions for "ancillary" It is worth noting that ancillary comes from the Latin ancilla maidservant while auxiliary comes from auxilium help.

A variety of ancillary support operations had to be shut down. Some ancillary tools used by hand knitters. Auxiliary can also be used as a noun as well as an adjective. Auxiliary comes from the Latin auxilium meaning help. Auxiliary means providing additional or supplementary support or help. Noun auxiliary refers to a person or thing that acts as an additional support or help. This word simply implies an additional support, but it does not carry the connotations of secondary importance or subordination, unlike ancillary.

The word ancillary may be used as a noun or an adjective, it is derived from the Latin word ancillaris, which means having to do with a maidservant. Auxiliary means providing supplemental help, offering additional support.