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adorn

[uh-dawrn]

verb (used with object)

to decorate or add beauty to, as by ornaments: garlands of flowers adorning their hair.

to make more pleasing, attractive, impressive, etc.; enhance: Piety adorned Abigail's character.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English adornen < Latin adōrnāre, equivalent to ad- ad- + ōrnāre to dress (see ornate); replacing late Middle English aourne < Middle French < Latin

Related forms

a·dorn·er, noun

a·dorn·ing·ly, adverb

non·a·dorn·er, noun

non·a·dorn·ing, adjective

o·ver·a·dorn, verb (used with object)

EXPAND

o·ver·a·dorned, adjective

pre·a·dorn, verb (used with object)

re·a·dorn, verb (used with object)

re·a·dorn·ing, adjective

self-a·dorn·ing, adjective

su·per·a·dorn, verb (used with object)

un·a·dorned, adjective

well-a·dorned, adjective

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. beautify; deck, bedeck; bedizen, array.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Adorn is one of our favorite verbs.

So is lollygag. Does it mean:

to spend time idly; loaf.

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

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Example Sentences

Ninety-nine pair of antlers adorn the walls, and to each one there is attached a story.

Fountains and sculptures adorn the grounds, while manicured lawns and tree-filled parks offer breathing room.

Youngsters are taken from the wild to adorn private zoos.

EXPAND

Ninety-nine pair of antlers adorn the walls, and to each one there is attached a story.

Fountains and sculptures adorn the grounds, while manicured lawns and tree-filled parks offer breathing room.

Youngsters are taken from the wild to adorn private zoos.

Under deeper cover, it can disappear beneath the sponges and other marine life it uses to adorn its shell.

Not only does the town have a dinosaur sculpture park, but various dinosaurs adorn vehicles around town.

Arizona, ristras adorn doorways and artists display crafts.

And then the architects presented him with the options for the thermostats that would adorn the walls of his perfect home.

Yet she has a tendency to adorn some of them with choreographic whipped cream.

Leaflets promoting investment products, and a board listing the latest exchange rates, adorn the walls.

Adorn your desktop with the dazzling plumage of these colorful woodpeckers.

Some birds were taken so that their feathers could adorn ladies' hats, and others became pets.

Adorn napkins with name cards, herbs, and a ribbon for a dash of holiday color.

Devious and dangerous as plants can be, they adorn every facet of our lives, from courtship to burial.

Images of half-naked, exotically painted tribesmen adorn the capital.

Spot prawns are named for the distinctive white spots that adorn their shells.

The abbot's head was set up to adorn the abbey gate, and his limbs put on show in nearby towns.

Their images adorn ancient coins, flags, and family crests.

Instead, some of the proteins that adorn the parasite's surface have been made in bulk.

Boyish hands may grow up to adorn a tegata, a champion's autographed print that sells for thousands of dollars.

Particularly confusing has been the proliferation of health icons that adorn food packaging.

Flower sellers set up stalls along the road and sell garlands to adorn your car.

There is an eclectic mixture of old wooden tables to sit at, and pictures by local artists adorn the walls.

Images of the king's life and many achievements adorn the walls.

One can only muse in shame about what labels will adorn our leaders, intellectuals and society in next century's history books.

The women adorn themselves in jewelry because it carries significance within the tribe.

Southerners have taken to erecting these cairns to adorn their gardens.

Colorful ribbons and a bison head adorn a traditional sun dance tree.

They adorn our clothes, our luggage, our sneakers and our hats.

Replica swords hang on the brick-patterned walls, figurines adorn the bar and a monitor shows video of upcoming games.

Hunters shot the plump birds for meat and for feathers to fill pillows and adorn women's hats.

Instead, the industry creates an ideal that few can attain and then designs beautiful clothes to adorn this fantasy figure.

Hundreds of paintings adorn the walls, accompanied by displays of artifacts-a buffalo.

Nevertheless, she knows how to adorn the surfaces of her dances with amazing patterns.

Playboy gets kickbacks from the bunnies that adorn clothing and other consumer-goods worldwide.

Rockefeller, and early-19th-century prayer rugs adorn the morning room.

But the usual short mustache occupies his face and round sprocket wheels adorn his body and the background.

Inexpert interpretations of great artworks adorn the lobby-all by the hotel's owner, the receptionist tells.

Similarly styled amber lamps adorn the bar, which is set up for dining.

Northern leopard frogs are so named for the array of irregularly shaped dark spots that adorn their backs and legs.

They adorn the openings of their burrows with piles of sticks and stones.

Multiple red palm prints of an early artist adorn one wall, as if to announce the birth of the first auteur.

Mismatched sofas, antique chairs, and unfinished wooden tables adorn this cozy cafe.

Colorful murals of happy dolphins adorn the walls inside.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

adorn (əˈdɔːn)

—vb
1.	to decorate: she adorned her hair with flowers
2.	to increase the beauty, distinction, etc, of

[C14: via Old French from Latin adōrnāre, from ōrnāre to furnish, prepare]

a'dornment

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

adorn

late 14c., from O.Fr. aourner, from L. adornare "equip, provide, embellish," from ad- "to" + ornare "prepare, furnish, adorn, fit out," from stem of ordo "order" (see order). The -d- was reinserted by French scribes 14c., in English from late 15c. (see ad-).

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Matching Quote

"Manners must adorn knowledge, and smooth its way through the world."

-Philip Dormer Stanhope Chesterfield, 4th Earl

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