ornament. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

ornament

SYLLABICATION:	or·na·ment
PRONUNCIATION:	ôrn-mnt
NOUN:	1. Something that decorates or adorns; an embellishment. 2. A person considered as a source of pride, honor, or credit: a singer who is an ornament to the world of opera. 3. Music A note or group of notes that embellishes a melody.
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: or·na·ment·ed, or·na·ment·ing, or·na·ments (-mnt)1. To furnish with ornaments: ornamented the windows with hanging plants. 2. To be an ornament to: “The babies ornament her ankles, dangle from her pant legs” (Carolyn Chute).
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English ournement, from Old French ornement, from Latin rnmentum, from rnre, to adorn. See ar- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	orna·menter —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.