Legal Definitions - paraphernalia

Definition: Property that a wife was allowed to keep, in addition to her dowry, on the death of her husband.

In the past, when a husband died, his wife was allowed to keep some of his belongings as her own. These belongings were called paraphernalia. They were in addition to the dowry, which was the money or property that a wife brought to her husband when they got married.

For example, if a husband had a valuable watch, his wife might be allowed to keep it after he died. This was her paraphernalia.

Today, the word paraphernalia is often used to refer to items that are associated with a particular activity or hobby. For example, if someone is a fan of a sports team, they might have paraphernalia like hats, shirts, and posters with the team's logo on them.