ornament

[ noun awr-nuh-muhnt; verb awr-nuh-ment, -muhnt ]

/ noun ˈɔr nə mənt; verb ˈɔr nəˌmɛnt, -mənt /

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noun

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.

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

any adornment or means of adornment.

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

the act of adorning.

the state of being adorned.

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

Chiefly Ecclesiastical. any accessory, adjunct, or equipment.

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

verb (used with object)

to furnish with ornaments; embellish: to ornament a musical composition.

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

Nearby words

Origin of ornament

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

SYNONYMS FOR ornament

1 embellishment.

3, 5 decoration.

10, 11 decorate, adorn, grace.

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Related forms

or·na·ment·er, nouno·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)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ornament

McConnell soon followed, beaming like an ornament atop a Christmas tree.
Mitch’s Brotastic Victory Bash|Olivia Nuzzi|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is your ornament, your grace, your seduction, your chant for courting.
‘Mirages’: Anaïs Nin’s Intimate, Unexpurgated Diaries|Lizzie Crocker|October 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I have meant you, all along, to be the ornament of your sex, and now—the devil take it!
The Blue Pavilions|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The ornament is painted in a similar manner, but usually not with the same care in the details of its execution.
British Manufacturing Industries|L. Arnoux

Venerable and grand, but wholly devoid of ornament, it partakes of the character of the surrounding scenery.
A Tour throughout South Wales and Monmouthshire|J. T. Barber
In the earliest work the ornament was not characterised by the same profusion so common in later work.
A Handbook of Pictorial History|Henry W. Donald
A dish of filets de sole or cutlets, crisp and golden brown, is an ornament to any table, and is seldom disdained by any one.
Culture and Cooking|Catherine Owen

British Dictionary definitions for ornament

ornament

noun (ˈɔːnəmənt)

anything that enhances the appearance of a person or thing

decorations collectivelyshe was totally without ornament

a small decorative object

something regarded as a source of pride or beauty

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

verb (ˈɔːnəˌmɛnt) (tr)

to decorate with or as if with ornaments

to serve as an ornament to

Derived Formsornamentation, noun

Word Origin for ornament

C14: from Latin ornāmentum, from ornāre to adorn

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

Word Origin and History for ornament (1 of 2)

ornament

early 13c., "an accessory," from Old French ornement "ornament, decoration," and directly from Latin ornamentum "apparatus, equipment, trappings; embellishment, decoration, trinket," from ornare "equip, adorn" (see ornate). Meaning "decoration, embellishment" in English is attested from late 14c. (also a secondary sense in classical Latin). Figurative use from 1550s.

Word Origin and History for ornament (1 of 2)

ornament

1720, from ornament (n.). Middle English used ournen (late 14c.) in this sense, from Old French orner, from Latin ornare. Related: Ornamented; ornamenting.

ornament

noun

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Origin of ornament

Examples from the Web for ornament

British Dictionary definitions for ornament

ornament

noun (ˈɔːnəmənt)

verb (ˈɔːnəˌmɛnt) (tr)

Word Origin for ornament

Word Origin and History for ornament (1 of 2)

ornament

Word Origin and History for ornament (1 of 2)

ornament