From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishapparatusap‧pa‧ra‧tus /ˌæpəˈreɪtəs $ -ˈræ-/ ●○○ noun 1 EQUIPMENT[uncountable] the set of tools and machines that you use for a particular scientific, medical, or technical purpose SYN equipment Astronauts have special breathing apparatus.2 SYSTEM[countable] the way in which a lot of people are organized to work together to do a job or control a company or country SYN machinery The tax will require a massive administrative apparatus. The state apparatus has become corrupt. the apparatus of government
Examples from the Corpus
apparatus• Because of this, a strong administrative apparatus was needed to plan the use of scarce resources, organize production and regulate distribution.• The teacher was then taken into another room and shown an apparatus which could deliver electric shocks to the learner.• The astronauts have special breathing apparatus.• The president holds tremendous advantages as the incumbent, partly because his campaign apparatus has low visibility.• Some of the mathematical ideas which can be experienced with the most general apparatus are suggested here.• Now consider three contrasting experiments with such a piece of apparatus.• This project was not just one piece of apparatus on a street corner.• There's a shop in town which sells all the latest photographic apparatus.• The East German security apparatus used these kinds of devices to overhear conversations.• This experiment can be performed using the apparatus shown in the diagram.• With the apparatus, researchers should be able to analyse an item in 15 minutes when the current technique takes days.• This wooden apparatus was used for weaving.Origin apparatus (1600-1700) Latin past participle of apparare “to prepare”, from ad- “to” + parare “to prepare” 