ornament en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈɔɹnəmənt/ (US)
- /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/ (UK)
- /ˈɔɹdəmənt/ (Southern-US)
Etymology
From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre (“to equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.
I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use.
1919, P. G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves:Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.
2012 March 14, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 106:Dust are our frames; and, gilded dust, our pride / Looks only for a moment whole and sound; / Like that long-buried body of the king / Found lying with his urns and ornaments, / Which at a touch of light, an air of heaven, / Slipt into ashes and was found no more.
1864, Alfred Tennyson, “Aylmer’s Field”, in Enoch Arden, &c., London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 51:
- (broadly, countable, uncountable) An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns. ▸ Christmas ornament: a Christmas tree decoration.
- (countable, uncountable) A musical flourish that is unnecessary to the overall melodic or harmonic line, but serves to decorate that line.
- (countable, in-plural, uncountable) The articles used in church services.
- (countable, uncountable) A characteristic that has a decorative function (typically in order to attract a mate)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ornaments | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
ornamentist · ornamental · block ornament · neither use nor ornament · hood ornament · tooth ornament · ornamentless · ornamental hermit · ornamentary
Relateds
suborn · ornate · adorn · ornamentation
Synonyms
garnishment · adornment · garnish · garniture · ornamentation · embellishment · garnishment · garniture · ornament · adornment · embellishment · decoration · ornament · garnish · ornamentation · decoration
Translations (89)
ru украше́ние (Christmas tree decoration) · el διακόσμηση (element of decoration) · hu díszítés (element of decoration) · pt enfeite (element of decoration) · mk у́крас (element of decoration) · hu dísz (element of decoration) · hi आभूषण (element of decoration) · pl ozdoba (Christmas tree decoration) · fi ornamentti (element of decoration) · he עֲדִי (element of decoration) · pt ornamento (musical flourish) · pl ornament (musical flourish) · hi जेवर (element of decoration) · ru ёлочная игру́шка (Christmas tree decoration) · ru музыка́льное украше́ние (musical flourish) · as গহনা (element of decoration) · te భూషణము (element of decoration) · sq zbukurim (element of decoration) · ba биҙәк (element of decoration) · es ornamento musical (musical flourish) · de musikalische Verzierung (musical flourish) · it ornamento (element of decoration) · fa آذین (element of decoration) · te ఆభరణము (element of decoration) · fi joulukuusen koriste (Christmas tree decoration) · la ornamentum musicalis (musical flourish) · pl ornament (element of decoration) · ota زینت (element of decoration) · ru орна́мент (element of decoration) · ca ornament (element of decoration) · ga ornáid (element of decoration) · gl ornamento (element of decoration) · ro ornament (element of decoration) · izh koristus (element of decoration) · ml ആഭരണം (element of decoration) · ru музыка́льный орна́мент (musical flourish) · ko 장식음 (musical flourish) · sa भूषण (element of decoration) · pri näwêê (element of decoration) · bg украса (Christmas tree decoration) · hu karácsonyfadísz (Christmas tree decoration) · aig atuulee (element of decoration) · de Verzierung (element of decoration) · hi अलंकार (element of decoration) · cmn 裝飾品 /装饰品 (element of decoration) · ro ornament muzical (musical flourish) · la ornāmentum (element of decoration) · eo ornamaĵo (element of decoration) · oc ornament (element of decoration) · az naxış (element of decoration) · bg орнамент (element of decoration) · cmn 裝飾 /装饰 (element of decoration) · fi ornamentiikka (musical flourish) · mk му́зички орнаме́нт (musical flourish) · az bəzək (element of decoration) · uk оздо́ба (element of decoration) · or ଅଳଙ୍କାର (element of decoration) · ps کالي (element of decoration) · ml അലങ്കാരം (element of decoration) · oc ornament (Christmas tree decoration) · uk орна́мент (element of decoration) · fi hele (musical flourish) · ota سوس (element of decoration) · yi ציר (element of decoration) · fi koriste-esine (element of decoration) · hy զարդ (element of decoration) · fi koriste (element of decoration) · ko 장신구 (element of decoration) · cmn 裝飾音 /装饰音 (musical flourish) · ja 装飾 (element of decoration) · ru украше́ние (element of decoration) · oc ornament (musical flourish) · txb tsaiññe (element of decoration) · ar حِلْيَة (element of decoration) · pt ornato (element of decoration) · ota بزك (element of decoration) · he נוֹי (element of decoration) · ps ګاڼه (element of decoration) · it ornamenti (musical flourish) · uk прикра́са (element of decoration) · ga ornáid (musical flourish) · ga maisiúchán (musical flourish) · cs ornament (element of decoration) · fr ornement (element of decoration) · cs ozdoba (element of decoration) · ja 装飾音 (musical flourish) · es ornamento (element of decoration) · fr ornement musical (musical flourish) · pt ornamento (element of decoration)