Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Appliance \Ap*pli"ance\, n.
   1. The act of applying; application; [Obs.] subservience.
      --Shak.

   2. The thing applied or used as a means to an end; an
      apparatus or device; as, to use various appliances; a
      mechanical appliance; a machine with its appliances.

Source : WordNet®

appliance
     n 1: a device that is very useful for a particular job [syn: {contraption},
           {contrivance}, {convenience}, {gadget}, {gizmo}, {gismo},
           {widget}]
     2: durable goods for home or office use