adjunct

Adjunct is a noun and adjective in English that denotes something added to or connected with something else but not essential to it. The word comes from Latin adjunctus, meaning “joined to,” the past participle of adjungere “to join to.” As a general term, an adjunct can refer to a supplementary person or thing that accompanies or supports a more central component.

In linguistics and grammar, an adjunct is a clause element that provides context for the action or state but is not required by the verb or the core predicate. For example, in the sentence “She sang yesterday,” the word “yesterday” functions as an adjunct of time; in “They walked in the park,” “in the park” is an adjunct of place. Such elements are often optional and can move within a sentence. They contrast with arguments, which are required by the verb, and with complements, which complete the meaning of a head.

The term is also used in professional and medical contexts. An adjunct professor or adjunct lecturer is a part-time or non-tenure-track faculty member employed to teach courses. In medicine, adjunct therapy (or adjunctive therapy) refers to treatment used in addition to the primary therapy to enhance efficacy or manage symptoms.

Adjunct can describe subordinate or auxiliary components in organizations, systems, or equipment, such as an adjunct department. The term often implies secondary status rather than independence, and some contexts view adjuncts as temporary or peripheral. Related terms include auxiliary, supplementary, and peripheral.