paraphernaliapar‧a‧pher‧na‧li‧a /ˌpærəfəˈneɪliə $ -fər-/ noun [uncountable] 
Word Origin
an electric kettle and all the paraphernalia for making tea and coffee travelling paraphernalia2the things and events that are connected with a particular activity, especially those which you think are unnecessary: all the usual paraphernalia of bureaucracy
Word OriginWORD ORIGINparaphernalia
ExamplesOrigin:
1600-1700 Medieval Latin, Greek parapherna ‘things brought to a marriage by a woman apart from the agreed amount of money’, from pherne ‘dowry’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- drug paraphernalia
- She was charged with possessing drug paraphernalia.
- The car is packed solid with all our camping paraphernalia.
- Their home was decorated with Elvis Presley paraphernalia.
- Every prominent scholar of nineteenth-century art planted himself in front of her, writing paraphernalia at hand.
- Every summer, they ventured into the streets with their usual paraphernalia, umbrellas and towels wrapped impertinently around their heads.
- For a while now the narrow house has been filling up with medical paraphernalia, with doctoring tackle.
- He had always liked the paraphernalia of storms: hail, lightning, darkness, thunder.
- In August 1988, he was arrested for possessing illegal drug paraphernalia - syringes.
- Miniature saltwater systems shrink miles of life into a large aquarium, plus paraphernalia.
- She pauses as the whole paraphernalia of the upcoming scene passes between them.
THESAURUS► equipment
Collocations noun [uncountable] the machines, tools, or objects that you use for doing something: · All the camping equipment is in the garage.· You’ll do a better job if you have the right equipment.· We are raising money for equipment for our playgroup.
► gear noun [uncountable] informal equipment and clothes for an activity that you do in your spare time: · We loaded all our gear into the boat, and set off to go fishing.· I’ve decided to sell my climbing gear.· camping gear
► kit noun [countable] things for a particular purpose or activity, especially ones kept together in their own container: · You’ll find a hammer in my tool kit.· Do you have a first aid kit?· You can buy a special kit for damp-proofing your home.
► apparatus noun [uncountable] tools and machines used for scientific, medical, and technical purposes: · This experiment can be performed using the apparatus shown in the diagram.· Astronauts have special breathing apparatus.
► stuff noun [uncountable] informal equipment that you use to do something: · The builders have left all their stuff round the back of the house.· Where’s the decorating stuff?
► things noun [plural] informal especially British English the equipment or clothes that you need for a particular activity: · She went into the shed where her father kept his gardening things.· They got all the Christmas things out of the loft.
► paraphernalia noun [uncountable] written a lot of small things that are used for a particular purpose: · All the paraphernalia for making tea and coffee stood on the bedside table.· The police found drug paraphernalia all over the house.
Longman Language Activatorseveral things of different types► things use this when you are talking about two or more things of different types and you do not need to say what they are: · I threw a few things into a bag and ran to the car.somebody's things spoken (=the things that someone owns or that they are carrying with them): · She's coming back later to get her things.all sorts/kinds of things (=a lot of different types of things): · They sell furniture, toys, cards - all sorts of things.
► stuff informal spoken objects or possessions of different types: · I don't know how we're going to get all this stuff into the car.somebody's stuff: · You're not going to have a lot of time to pack up your stuff before you move.
► junk spoken things that are not useful and should be thrown away, for example because they are old or broken: · I must clean out this cupboard - it's absolutely full of junk.· They have so much junk in their yard. It makes the neighborhood look awful.
► odds and ends several different things, especially small things that are not of much value: · In the drawer she found a photograph, an old hairbrush, and various other odds and ends.· Odds and ends that haven't sold have been drastically reduced in price.
► bits and pieces also bits and bobs British informal a number of small objects that are all different from each other: · There are all sorts of bits and pieces in this box.· Do any of these bits and bobs belong to you?
► paraphernalia a large number of different things which you need for a particular activity - you can often use this humorously : · The car is packed solid with all our camping paraphernalia.· She was charged with possessing drug paraphernalia.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► other
1a lot of small things that belong to someone, or are needed for a particular activity: · No psychiatry nonsense, no mumbo jumbo about theories and the other paraphernalia of the fiction writer.· The gas falls into clumps, eventually producing stars, galaxies and all the other astronomical paraphernalia.
an electric kettle and all the paraphernalia for making tea and coffee travelling paraphernalia2the things and events that are connected with a particular activity, especially those which you think are unnecessary: all the usual paraphernalia of bureaucracy