Ap"pa*ratus (&?;), n.; pl. Apparatus, also rarely Apparatuses (&?;). [L., from apparare, apparatum, to prepare; ad + prepare to make ready.] 1. Things provided as means to some end.

2. Hence: A full collection or set of implements, or utensils, for a given duty, experimental or operative; any complex instrument or appliance, mechanical or chemical, for a specific action or operation; machinery; mechanism.

3. (Physiol.) A collection of organs all of which unite in a common function; as, the respiratory apparatus.

• a complex machine or instrument
  
• an assortment of tools or instruments
  
• a given system of procedures for accomplishing a certain goal
  
• a bureaucratic organization, especially one influenced by political patronage
  
• in the fire service, a vehicle used for emergency response