Adjacent Words

Ornament definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OR'NAMENT, n. [L. ornamentum, from orno, to adorn. Varro informs us that this was primitively osnamentum; but this is improbable. See Adorn.]
1. That which embellishes; something which, added to another thing, renders it more beautiful to the eye.
The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs - Isaiah 3.
2. In architecture, ornaments are sculpture or carved work.
3. Embellishment; decoration; additional beauty.
- The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price. 1 Peter 3.
OR'NAMENT, v.t. To adorn; to deck; to embellish.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: something used to beautify [syn: decoration, ornament, ornamentation] v
1: make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; "Decorate the room for the party"; "beautify yourself for the special day" [syn: decorate, adorn, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify]
2: be an ornament to; "stars ornamented the Christmas tree"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French urnement, ornement, from Latin ornamentum, from ornare Date: 13th century 1. archaic a useful accessory 2. a. something that lends grace or beauty b. a manner or quality that adorns 3. one whose virtues or graces add luster to a place or society 4. the act of adorning or being adorned 5. an embellishing note not belonging to the essential harmony or melody — called also embellishment, fioritura II. transitive verb Date: 1656 to provide with ornament ; embellish Synonyms: see adorn

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a thing used or serving to adorn, esp. a small trinket, vase, figure, etc. (a mantelpiece crowded with ornaments; her only ornament was a brooch). b a quality or person conferring adornment, grace, or honour (an ornament to her profession). 2 decoration added to embellish esp. a building (a tower rich in ornament). 3 (in pl.) Mus. embellishments and decorations made to a melody. 4 (usu. in pl.) the accessories of worship, e.g. the altar, chalice, sacred vessels, etc. --v.tr. adorn; beautify. Derivatives: ornamentation n. Etymology: ME f. AF urnement, OF o(u)rnement f. L ornamentum equipment f. ornare adorn

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ornament Or"na*ment, n. [OE. ornement, F. ornement, fr. L. ornamentum, fr. ornare to adorn.] That which embellishes or adorns; that which adds grace or beauty; embellishment; decoration; adornment. The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. --1 Pet. iii. 4. Like that long-buried body of the king Found lying with his urns and ornaments. --Tennyson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ornament Or"na*ment, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ornamented; p. pr. & vb. n. Ornamenting.] To adorn; to deck; to embellish; to beautify; as, to ornament a room, or a city. Syn: See Adorn.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(ornaments) 1. An ornament is an attractive object that you display in your home or in your garden. ...a shelf containing a few photographs and ornaments. ...Christmas tree ornaments. N-COUNT 2. Decorations and patterns on a building or a piece of furniture can be referred to as ornament. (FORMAL) ...walls of glass overlaid with ornament.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

or'-na-ment (`adhi, "adornment"): In common with all the Orientals, the Hebrews were very fond of wearing ornaments, and their tendency to extravagance of this kind often met with stern prophetic rebuke (Isa 3:16-24; Eze 13:18-20). On this subject, little is said in the New Testament apart from Jesus' (Lu 7:25; 12:23) and James' (Jas 2:2) invectives against meretricious estimates of moral character. Yet the employment of attractive attire receives sanction in the divine example of Eze 16:10-14.

Ornaments in general would include finely embroidered or decorated fabrics, such as the priest's dress or the high-priestly attire, and the richly wrought veil, girdle and turban used by the wealthier class. But the term may be limited here to the various rings, bracelets and chains made of precious metals and more or less jeweled (compare Jer 2:32).

These latter, described in detail under their own titles, may be summarized here as finger-rings, particularly prized as seal-rings (Ge 38:18,25; Jer 22:24); arm-rings or bracelets (Ge 24:22; 2Sa 1:10); earrings (Ge 35:4; Ex 32:2); noserings (Ge 24:47; Eze 16:12); anklets or ankle-chains (Isa 3:16,18); head-bands or fillets or cauls (referred to in Isa 3:18 only), and necklaces or neck-chains (Ge 41:42; Eze 16:11).

Figurative: The universal devotion to ornament among the Orientals is the occasion for frequent Biblical allusions to the beauty and splendor of fine jewelry and attire. But everywhere, in divine injunctions, the emphasis of value is placed upon the beauty of holiness as an inward grace rather than on the attractions of outward ornament (Job 40:10; Ps 110:3; Joe 2:13; 1Ti 2:9,10; 1Pe 3:4). In grievous sorrow, all ornament was to be laid aside in token of mourning (Ex 33:4-6).

Leonard W. Doolan

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Embellishment, decoration, adornment, ornamentation. II. v. a. Decorate, adorn, embellish, beautify, garnish, bedeck, grace, emblazon, deck.

Moby Thesaurus

acciaccatura, add, adjoin, adjunct, adorn, adornment, affix, agglutinate, anacrusis, annex, append, appoggiatura, arabesque, arrangement, array, asiaticism, attach, bass passage, beauties, beautify, bedeck, bedizen, blazon, blue ribbon, bonus, bourdon, bridge, burden, cadence, cadenza, chorus, coda, color, color patterns, coloratura, colors, colors of rhetoric, complicate, conjoin, convolute, cordon, cordon bleu, credit, dandify, deck, deck out, decor, decorate, decoration, decoration of honor, development, device, distinction, division, dizen, doll up, dress, dress up, elaborate, elaboration, elegant variation, embellish, embellishment, emblazon, emblazonment, emblazonry, embroider, embroidery, encumber, enrich, euphuism, exposition, extra, extra added attraction, extra dash, festoon, fig out, figurative language, figurativeness, figure, figure of speech, filigree, filling, fillip, fine writing, fioritura, fix up, flight, floridity, floridness, flourish, flower, flower arrangement, floweriness, flowers of speech, flowery style, folderol, frill, furbish, furniture arrangement, garnish, garnishment, garniture, garter, gild, glory, glue on, gold star, grace, grace note, grand cordon, great honor, gussy up, harmonic close, hitch on, honor, illumination, image, imagery, incidental, incidental note, infix, interlude, intermezzo, introductory phrase, involve, join with, lagniappe, load with ornament, long mordent, lushness, luxuriance, manner of speaking, measure, mordent, movement, musical phrase, musical sentence, nonliterality, nonliteralness, order, ornamentation, overcharge, overlay, overload, padding, paint, part, passage, paste on, period, phrase, plus, postfix, pralltriller, prank, prank up, preen, prefix, premium, prettify, primp, primp up, prink, prink up, purple passage, purple patches, put with, red ribbon, redecorate, redo, refrain, refurbish, resolution, response, riband, ribbon, ritornello, roulade, run, saddle with, section, set off, set out, single mordent, slap on, smarten, smarten up, something extra, spruce up, stanza, star, statement, strain, stuffing, subjoin, suffix, superadd, superaddition, superpose, tack on, tag, tag on, tailpiece, titivate, trick out, trick up, trim, trimming, trope, turn, turn of expression, tutti, tutti passage, twist, unite with, variation, varnish, verse, way of speaking, window dressing, wrinkle