garnish

American  

[gahr-nish] / ˈgɑr nɪʃ /

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.

   Synonyms:

   enhance, bedizen, bedeck, trim, beautify, ornament, embellish

2. to provide (a food) with something that adds flavor, decorative color, etc..

   to garnish boiled potatoes with chopped parsley.

3. Law.

   1. 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.

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

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noun

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

2. adornment or decoration.

   Synonyms:

   garniture, ornament

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

garnish British  

/ ˈɡɑːnɪʃ /

verb

1. to decorate; trim

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

3. law

   1. to serve with notice of proceedings; warn

   2. obsolete to summon to proceedings already in progress

   3. to attach (a debt)

4. slang to extort money from

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noun

1. a decoration; trimming

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

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

Other Word Forms

• garnishable adjective
• garnisher noun
• overgarnish verb (used with object)
• regarnish verb (used with object)
• undergarnish verb (used with object)
• ungarnished adjective
• well-garnished adjective

Etymology

Origin of garnish

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

Example Sentences

Later, the U.S. government garnished money from the wages Henry-Halabi earned working as a public librarian to repay her loans.

From MarketWatch

But the student loans caught up with her, and the government garnished her wages to repay them.

From MarketWatch

It’s garnished with berries and candied rosemary and ginger.

From Salon

We live in a time where dishes and drinks are engineered not simply to taste good, but to be photographed well — bright colors, dramatic garnishes, interesting silhouettes.

From Salon

Layer with turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce—or add a caviar garnish to your Thanksgiving spread.

From The Wall Street Journal