ornament
See also: Ornament
English
Etymology
From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre, present active infinitive of ornō (“I equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Pronunciation
- (noun)
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈɔɹnəmənt/, enPR: ôrʹnə-mənt
Audio (US) (file)
- (verb)
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/, /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəˌmɛnt/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈɔɹnəmənt/, /ˈɔɹnəˌmɛnt/, enPR: ôrʹnə-mənt, ôrʹnə-mĕnt'
Noun
ornament (countable and uncountable, plural ornaments)
- An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:decoration
- 1864, Alfred Tennyson, “Aylmer’s Field”, in Enoch Arden, &c., London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], OCLC 879237670, page 51:
- 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.
- 1919, P. G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves:
- I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use.
- 2012 March 1, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 February 2013, retrieved 15 May 2013, page 106:
- 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.
- A Christmas tree decoration.
- (music) A musical flourish that is unnecessary to the overall melodic or harmonic line, but serves to decorate that line.
- (Christianity, in the plural) The articles used in church services.
- (biology) A characteristic that has a decorative function (typically in order to attract a mate)
Derived terms
- ornamental
Related terms
- ornate
- ornamentation
- adorn
- suborn
Translations
element of decoration
|
Christmas tree decoration
|
musical flourish
|
Verb
ornament (third-person singular simple present ornaments, present participle ornamenting, simple past and past participle ornamented)
- To decorate.
- We will ornament the windows with trim to make the room seem brighter.
- To add to.
- The editor ornamented his plain writing, making it fancier but less clear.
- 2021 July 12, Nicholas Barber, “The French Dispatch: Four stars for Wes Anderson's latest”, in BBC:
- Not a scene goes by that hasn't been ornamented with a split screen, a freeze frame, a caption, a voice-over, a switch between monochrome and colour, or a change of the aspect radio[sic].
Conjugation
Conjugation of ornament
| infinitive | (to) ornament | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | ornament | ornamented | |
| 2nd-person singular | |||
| 3rd-person singular | ornaments | ||
| plural | ornament | ||
| subjunctive | ornament | ornamented | |
| imperative | ornament | — | |
| participles | ornamenting | ornamented | |
Synonyms
- (decorate): adorn, bedeck, decorate, embellish, trim
Translations
to decorate
|
to add to
|
Further reading
- ornament in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- ornament in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
Catalan
Etymology
From Latin ornamentum.
Pronunciation
- (Balearic) IPA(key): /oɾ.nəˈment/
- (Central) IPA(key): /ur.nəˈmen/
- (Valencian) IPA(key): /oɾ.naˈment/
Noun
ornament m (plural ornaments)
- ornament
Derived terms
- ornamental
Further reading
- “ornament” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “ornament”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
- “ornament” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “ornament” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Latin ornamentum.
Noun
ornament n (definite singular ornamentet, indefinite plural ornament or ornamenter, definite plural ornamenta or ornamentene)
- an ornament
Derived terms
- ornamentikk
References
- “ornament” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
- “ornament” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Latin ornamentum.
Noun
ornament n (definite singular ornamentet, indefinite plural ornament, definite plural ornamenta)
- an ornament
Derived terms
- ornamentikk
References
- “ornament” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin ōrnāmentum.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɔrˈna.mɛnt/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -amɛnt
- Syllabification: or‧na‧ment
Noun
ornament m inan
- (architecture, art, typography) ornament, adornment
- (music) ornament
Declension
Declension of ornament
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | ornament | ornamenty |
| genitive | ornamentu | ornamentów |
| dative | ornamentowi | ornamentom |
| accusative | ornament | ornamenty |
| instrumental | ornamentem | ornamentami |
| locative | ornamencie | ornamentach |
| vocative | ornamencie | ornamenty |
Descendants
- → Ukrainian: орна́мент (ornáment)
Further reading
- ornament in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- ornament in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romanian
Etymology
From French ornament, from Latin ornamentum.
Noun
ornament n (plural ornamente)
- ornament
Declension
Declension of ornament
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) ornament | ornamentul | (niște) ornamente | ornamentele |
| genitive/dative | (unui) ornament | ornamentului | (unor) ornamente | ornamentelor |
| vocative | ornamentule | ornamentelor | ||