adorn
UK /əˈdɔː(ɹ)n/ · US /əˈdɔɹn/ verb, noun, adjective
- verb To make more beautiful and attractive; to decorate. “a man adorned with noble statuary and columns”
- noun (obsolete) adornment
- adjective (obsolete) adorned; ornate
Synonyms
beautify bedeck decorate deck grace ornament prettify adore apparel array invest detail betrim commend decore deck out do up dress up dub embellish clothe
Etymology
From Middle English adornen, adournen, from Latin adōrnāre; from ad- + ōrnō (“furnish, embellish”). See adore, ornate. Replaced earlier Middle English aournen (“to adorn”) borrowed from Old French aorner, from the same Latin source.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To deck or dress with ornaments; to embellish; to set off to advantage; to render pleasing or attractive.
- noun Adornment. [Obs.] Spenser.
- adjective Adorned; decorated. [Obs.] Milton.
Etymology [OE. aournen, anournen, adornen, OF. aorner, fr. L. aaornare; ad + ornare to furnish, embellish. See Adore, Ornate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “adorn”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details