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additional; supplementary; reserve:
an auxiliary police force.
used as a subst-tute or reserve in case of need:
the hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of a blackout.
(of a boat) having an engine that can be used to supplement the sails:
an auxiliary yawl.
giving support; serving as an aid; helpful:
the mind and emotions are auxiliary to each other. p-ssion is auxiliary to art.
a person or thing that gives aid of any kind; helper.
an organization allied with, but subsidiary to, a main body of restricted membership, especially one composed of members’ relatives:
the men’s club and the ladies’ auxiliary were merged into one organization.
auxiliary verb.
auxiliaries, foreign troops in the service of a nation at war.
navy. a naval vessel designed for other than combat purposes, as a tug, supply ship, or transport.
nautical. a sailing vessel carrying an auxiliary propulsion engine or engines.
contemporary examples

we retooled music, which sounds sort of small and auxiliary, but i think we figured out a way to help the audience.
‘michael j. fox show’ creator: we’re not canceled…yet kevin fallon february 5, 2014

none of this will be easily accomplished, and america has only an auxiliary role.
how the u.s. will lose egypt geoffrey wawro january 30, 2011

historical examples

here the adverbs, very and soon, separate find from its auxiliary shall.
plain english marian wharton

and now, having such an auxiliary, you must do your best to show the unbelievers that you are right.
the republic plato

supposing that we had really been betrayed, or had been reported by an auxiliary cruiser, that would at least delay discovery.
gun running for cas-m-nt in the easter rebellion, 1916 karl spindler

furthermore, never use an auxiliary lever to screw up the jaws.
practical mechanics for boys j. s. zerbe

auxiliary verbs are used only for certain tenses, or form the entire conjugation.
the philosophic grammar of american languages, as set forth by wilhelm von humboldt daniel g. brinton

the contracted form hn, &c., is mostly used as an auxiliary.
a middle high german primer joseph wright

but there is an auxiliary power to keep the mill in motion, and that auxiliary power is afforded by the tides.
time and tide robert s. (robert stawell) ball

“you and jarvis are off to salvage the auxiliary,” the captain said.
valley of dreams stanley grauman weinbaum

adjective
secondary or supplementary
supporting
(nautical) (of a sailing vessel) having an engine: an auxiliary sloop
noun (pl) -ries
a person or thing that supports or supplements; subordinate or -ssistant
(nautical)

a sailing vessel with an engine
the engine of such a vessel

(navy) a vessel such as a tug, hospital ship, etc, not used for combat
adj.

c.1600, from latin auxiliaris “helpful,” from auxilium “aid, help, support,” related to auctus, past participle of augere “to increase” (see augment).
n.

“foreign troops in service of a nation at war,” c.1600, from auxiliary (adj.). related: auxiliaries.

auxiliary aux·il·ia·ry (ôg-zĭl’yə-rē, -zĭl’ə-rē)
adj.

functioning in an augmenting capacity; supplementary.

functioning as a subordinate; secondary.