A support, prop, or aid; something that supports or assists another thing.
Latin noun meaning 'support' or 'prop,' from ad- (to) + a root meaning 'lean on.' The original Latin term survives in English technical and legal vocabulary, particularly in Scottish law and botanical terminology.
The Romans used adminiculum literally for props and supports in buildings, but lawyers loved the word so much they borrowed it to describe any kind of supporting evidence—showing how Romans were probably the first people to think metaphorically about 'supporting' an argument.
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