a. and sb. [ad.F. *succursal, only in fem. succursale (sc. église church), ad. L. *succursālis, f. succursus SUCCOUR. Cf. It. soccorsale.]
A. adj. Subsidiary; applied esp. to a religious establishment dependent upon a principal one.
1844. [C. MacFarlane], Camp of Rejuge, I. 9. From the grand abbey of Crowland to the dependent house or succursal cell of Spalding.
1855. Milman, Lat. Christ., XIV. viii. VI. 564. Its Cathedral, surrounded by its succursal churches. Ibid., 574. The building, with its succursal aisles.
1889. Tablet, 16 Feb., 243/1. The more recent institution of the latter and its succursal office.
B. sb. A subsidiary establishment; a branch institution, society, business, etc. (Const. to, of.)
1859. Sala, Tw. round Clock (1861), 221. The ‘Virtuous Club,’ established as a succursal to the Royal Society. Ibid. (1862), Accepted Addr., 86. The undertaking business … was a succursal to his trade.
1884. Athenæum, 22 March, 376/1. Freston, or Frieston, was a succursal of the Benedictine Abbey of Croyland.
ǁ b. In F. form succursale (sb. fem. sing.).
1882. Times, 11 Sept., 7/4. The new docks on the London, Tilbury, and Southend Railway, a sort of succursale of the East and West India Dock system. Ibid. (1885), 18 Sept., 13/4. Six of the monks emigrated last year to America, and 32 have been detached to a succursale in Tipperary.
1901. A. C. Welch, Anselm & His Work, v. 87. So many monks passed between the two, that St. Saviour’s became practically a succursale of Le Bec.
1910. Nation, 16 July, 568/2. Mexico … has become a mere ‘succursale’ of the United States.
