garnish

[ gahr-nish ]
See synonyms for: garnishgarnishedgarnishing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to provide or supply with something ornamental; adorn; decorate: a free-standing wall whose lower reaches are garnished by hanging gardens.

  2. to provide (a food) with something that adds flavor, decorative color, etc.: to garnish boiled potatoes with chopped parsley.

  1. Law.

    • to attach (as money due or property belonging to a debtor) by garnishment; garnishee: The court garnished his wages when he refused to pay child support.

    • to summon in, so as to take part in litigation already pending between others.

noun
  1. something placed around or on a food or in a beverage to add flavor, decorative color, etc.

  2. adornment or decoration.

  1. Chiefly British. a fee formerly demanded of a new convict or worker by the warden, boss, or fellow prisoners or workers.

Origin of garnish

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English garnishen, from Old French garniss- (extended stem of garnir, guarnir “to furnish,” from Germanic ); cf. warn

Other words for garnish

Other words from garnish

  • gar·nish·a·ble, adjective
  • gar·nish·er, noun
  • o·ver·gar·nish, verb (used with object)
  • re·gar·nish, verb (used with object)
  • un·der·gar·nish, verb (used with object)
  • un·gar·nished, adjective
  • well-garnished, adjective

Words Nearby garnish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use garnish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for garnish

garnish

/ (ˈɡɑːnɪʃ) /


verb(tr)
  1. to decorate; trim

  2. to add something to (food) in order to improve its appearance or flavour

  1. law

    • to serve with notice of proceedings; warn

    • obsolete to summon to proceedings already in progress

    • to attach (a debt)

  2. slang to extort money from

noun
  1. a decoration; trimming

  2. something, such as parsley, added to a dish for its flavour or decorative effect

  1. obsolete, slang a payment illegally extorted, as from a prisoner by his jailer

Origin of garnish

1
C14: from Old French garnir to adorn, equip, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German warnōn to pay heed

Derived forms of garnish

  • garnisher, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012