ornament

[ noun awr-nuh-muhnt; verb awr-nuh-ment, -muhnt ]
See synonyms for: ornamentornamentedornaments on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an accessory, article, or detail used to beautify the appearance of something to which it is added or of which it is a part: architectural ornaments.

  2. a system, category, or style of such objects or features; ornamentation: a book on Gothic ornament.

  1. any adornment or means of adornment.

  2. a person or thing that adds to the credit or glory of a society, era, etc.

  3. the act of adorning.

  4. the state of being adorned.

  5. mere outward display: a speech more of ornament than of ideas.

  6. Chiefly Ecclesiastical. any accessory, adjunct, or equipment.

  7. Music. a tone or group of tones applied as decoration to a principal melodic tone.

verb (used with object)
  1. to furnish with ornaments; embellish: to ornament a musical composition.

  2. to be an ornament to: Several famous scientists were acquired to ornament the university.

Origin of ornament

1
1175–1225; <Latin ornāmentum equipment, ornament, equivalent to ornā(re) to equip + -mentum-ment; replacing Middle English ornement<Old French <Latin, as above

Other words for ornament

Other words from ornament

  • or·na·ment·er, noun
  • o·ver·or·na·ment, verb (used with object)
  • re·or·na·ment, verb (used with object)
  • su·per·or·na·ment, noun
  • su·per·or·na·ment, verb (used with object)

Words Nearby ornament

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

How to use ornament in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ornament

ornament

noun(ˈɔːnəmənt)
  1. anything that enhances the appearance of a person or thing

  2. decorations collectively: she was totally without ornament

  1. a small decorative object

  2. something regarded as a source of pride or beauty

  3. music any of several decorations, such as the trill, mordent, etc, occurring chiefly as improvised embellishments in baroque music

verb(ˈɔːnəˌmɛnt) (tr)
  1. to decorate with or as if with ornaments

  2. to serve as an ornament to

Origin of ornament

1
C14: from Latin ornāmentum, from ornāre to adorn

Derived forms of ornament

  • ornamentation, 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