Definition of "appliance" []

• A device or instrument designed to perform a specific function, especially an electrical device, such as a toaster, for household use. See Synonyms at tool. (noun)
• A dental or surgical device designed to perform a therapeutic or corrective function. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In the case of Azul, the appliance is a kind of Java co-processor that sits on the network providing compute assistance to many different Java applications running on many different machines."
• "Between the substation and the end-use consumer appliance is a business and technology no-mans-land ripe for innovation."
• "Simple convenience as the abstract selling point for an appliance is a hard position to defend over any length of time; someone will inevitably separate the convenience from the hardware, and sell it at a significantly lower price."