ac·cou·tre·ment : This word is not French? Or is it?

Photo of one of hundreds of possible quesadilla  recipes.

I dined in an Irish Pub just across the Mississippi from our residence an hour ago. The host offered me "accoutrements"... I knew what he meant... he was referring the to the ketchup, mustard, salsa, guacamole and sour cream that they serve as condiments to go with the meal. (Yes, I ordered a quesadilla* in an Irish bar. Noth'n more American than ordering something of Mexican origin at an Irish bar on Easter Sunday.)

The word "accoutrement" is familiarly used in this part of the U.S. for condiments and sides that go with a main dish. But I realized tonight that I have never experienced this word in the French speaking world. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen this word in print and didn't know how to spell it. So I came home and looked it up. I could not find it online in a French dictionary, but Merriam Webster's Free Online Dictionary gives the following definition for the word in English:

accoutrementsplural of ac·cou·tre·ment (Noun)

Noun:

Additional items of dress or equipment, carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity. A soldier's outfit other than weapons and garments.

Aha! Another old French word gobbled up by locals and used for our own devices. Add it to the list of hybrid words walking the balance beam between two languages.

(Update as of October 2012:  this word is now in Word Reference.com  There accoutrement is defined as a mascarade or, in English, the informal expression "get-up", which means a costume or the way someone is dressing that day. e.g. "She wore her usual get-up.")

* A quesadilla Norte Americano is as follows:  a flour or corn tortilla filled with a mixture of cheese and other ingredients, folded over or matched with another tortilla and browned on each side to melt the cheeses. Served with salsa and sometimes sour cream.

** If you've read this far you might be interested that, as of January 31, 2013, this blog entry has by far the most hits of any of my 209 entries to date.