Adjuncts

The word "adjunct" crops up regularly in beer geek discussions and I can't help but think that, as Inigo Montoya put it:

"You killed my father, prepare to die"

 No, hang on, not that one. I mean:

 "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

 "Adjuncts" seems to be used a lot to describe what I would call novel ingredients or flavourings. In The Handbook of Brewing Graham Stewart states in his chapter on adjuncts:

In the United Kingdom, the Foods Standards Committee defines a brewing adjunct as “any carbohydrate source other than malted barley which contributes sugars to the wort.”

In the notes for the Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling there are lists of solid and liquid adjuncts:

Solid Adjuncts:
Roasted
Torrified
Micronised
Flaked
Grits
Flours

Liquid Adjuncts:
Glucose Syrups
Sucrose Syrups 
Invert Sugars
Malt Extracts
Caramel
Primings

So that's the sort of thing we're talking about. And note there's no mention of cacao nibs or dingleberries.  I suppose some of the strange things added to beer have some fermentability but I'm still not convinced that adjuncts is the best term for them.