ornamental en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˌɔː.nəˈmɛn.təl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌɔɹ.nəˈmɛn.təl/ (US)
Etymology
From ornament + -al.
Meanings
-
Serving as an ornament; having no purpose other than to make more beautiful.
Some think it most ornamental to wear their bracelets on their wrists; others, about their ankles.
There were ornamental ponds and shrubs clipped into animal shapes, painted concrete gnomes sitting on mushrooms, pink flamingos standing on one leg[.]
1968, Carl Ruhen, The Key Club, Sydney: Scripts, page 20:We shall leave to the reader to determine with what judgment we have chosen the several occasions for inserting those ornamental parts of our work.
1749, Henry Fielding, chapter I, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IV:
-
(of a plant, usually) Bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes.
Those cranberry bushes are ornamental, so they're not edible.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more ornamental | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most ornamental | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
ornamentality · ornamentalness · unornamental · ornamentalize · ornamental hermit · ornamentalism · nonornamental · ornamentalist
Relateds
Synonyms
beautifying · decorative · embellishing
Translations (32)
fi koristeellinen (serving to ornament) · cmn 觀賞性的 /观赏性的 (bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes) · fur ornamentâl (serving to ornament) · ang gefrætwod (serving to ornament) · cmn 觀賞的 /观赏的 (serving to ornament) · hu ékes (serving to ornament) · it ornamentale (serving to ornament) · ga gréagáin (serving to ornament) · ga ornáideach (serving to ornament) · cmn 裝飾性的 /装饰性的 (bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes) · bg декоративен (bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes) · gl ornamental (serving to ornament) · es ornamental (serving to ornament) · hu díszes (serving to ornament) · cmn 觀賞性的 /观赏性的 (serving to ornament) · bg декоративен (serving to ornament) · pl ozdobny (serving to ornament) · ang glengful (serving to ornament) · id ornamental (bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes) · cmn 裝飾性的 /装饰性的 (serving to ornament) · fr ornemental (serving to ornament) · de Zier- (serving to ornament) · cs ornamentální (serving to ornament) · de dekorativ (serving to ornament) · fi koriste- (bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes) · ca ornamental (serving to ornament) · id ornamental (serving to ornament) · nl ornamenteel (serving to ornament) · fi koristeellinen (bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes) · ro ornamental (serving to ornament) · cmn 觀賞的 /观赏的 (bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes) · pt ornamental (serving to ornament)