A dependent word that functions attached to another word rather than expressing a main meaning independently; in Japanese, this includes particles and auxiliaries (antonym: independent word 自立語).
日本語の助詞や助動詞は典型的な付属語の例だ。
Japanese particles and auxiliary verbs are typical examples of dependent words.
文法の分類で付属語と自立語を区別することが重要だ。
It's important to distinguish between dependent words and independent words in grammatical classification.
この辞書では、付属語は単独で文の主語になれないと説明している。
This dictionary explains that dependent words cannot serve as the subject of a sentence by themselves.