garnish

American  

[gahr-nish] / ˈgɑr nɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

garnishes, present (3rd person singular) garnished, past participle, past garnishing present participle

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

garnishes plural

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

Derived Forms

• garnisher
  noun
• garnishable
  adjective
• ungarnished
  adjective
• well-garnished
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• garnishes
  plural

Participles

• garnishing
  present
• garnished
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• garnish
  simple
• garnishes
  simple
• have garnished
  perfect
• has garnished
  perfect
• are garnishing
  progressive
• am garnishing
  progressive
• is garnishing
  progressive
• have been garnishing
  perfect progressive
• has been garnishing
  perfect progressive

Past

• garnished
  simple
• had garnished
  perfect
• was garnishing
  progressive
• were garnishing
  progressive
• had been garnishing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will garnish
  simple
• will have garnished
  perfect
• will be garnishing
  progressive
• will have been garnishing
  perfect progressive

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 ); cf. warn

Explanation

A garnish is a decoration or embellishment, often used with food. It is also the verb that means to do the decorating: you can garnish a baked fish with a garnish of lemon slices and parsley. Long ago, in 14th-century France, the word garnir meant, in part, "to warn or defend," a meaning that survived in one of the meanings of garnish, "to seize wages to pay a debt." But word meanings often branch out, and "to warn" came to mean "to arm oneself," and later "to fit out or equip." It came to mean "to embellish" in Middle English, and, from the late 17th century on, the word was used commonly for the embellishment or decoration of food.

Example Sentences

Garnish with a sprig or two of watercress or arugula.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2025

"Every piece of information like this helps us make personalised medicine more of a reality," said Dr Garnish.

From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023

Garnish with the cherry, and serve to a friend.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 6, 2023

Garnish to taste with some of the remaining cumin, additional harissa, chopped cilantro and olives.

From Washington Times • May 18, 2023

Garnish the salad bowl with shredded lettuce, diced, boiled or pickled beets or radish roses or olives, sweet peppers or any favorite garnish.—Contributed.

From Civic League Cook Book by