An appliance is a machine or device, usually electrical, that helps with household tasks like cooking, cleaning, or keeping food cold.
From "apply" via an older sense of "appliance" meaning "something put to use." Over time it narrowed to mean physical devices used for practical jobs, especially in the home.
The word hints that an appliance is really just an “application” of energy to a task—your washing machine is applied electricity doing work for you. Every quiet whirr in the house is a hidden engine replacing human labor.
Household appliances were historically marketed primarily to women, reinforcing the idea that domestic labor was their responsibility. Advertising often portrayed women as appliance operators and men as decision-makers or technicians.
Use "appliance" without assuming who uses or maintains it; avoid gendered assumptions about who cooks, cleans, or does repairs. When discussing design, consider diverse users and abilities.
["device","household device","machine"]
When talking about the history of appliances, include the impact on women's labor—both the ways some tasks were eased and the ways expectations for domestic work increased.
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