ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ornament

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɔɹnəmənt// or·na·ment

n. a small, pretty object you use to decorate a room or a tree. It is usually there just to look nice, not to be useful.

n. an object or feature used to add decorative value to something else rather than for functional purposes. In music, refers to notes added to a melody to provide embellishment.


SIMPLE

She placed a small glass ornament on the shelf.

CONTEXTUAL

During the holidays, the family gathers to hang every traditional ornament on the tree.

COMPLEX

The architect argued that the building's beauty should come from its proportions rather than from any applied ornament or superficial decoration.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre (“to equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun.

Usage

Countable when referring to physical objects; uncountable when referring to the abstract quality of decoration.

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