Meaning of decorate in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈdɛkəˌreɪt/

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  1. Verb

    decorate

    Etymology

    mid 16th century (in the sense ‘to grace or honor’): from Latin decoratus‘embellished’ (past participle of decorare), from decus, decor-‘beauty, honor, or embellishment’

    Definitions

    1. make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.

    Examples

    • « Decorate the room for the party »
    • « beautify yourself for the special day »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. be beautiful to look at

    Examples

    • « Flowers adorned the tables everywhere »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. award a mark of honor, as a medal, to

    Derived terms

  4. 4. provide with decoration

    Examples

    • « dress the windows »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. »
    Frank Zappa
  • « I try to decorate my imagination as much as I can. »
    Franz Schubert
  • « Decorate your home. It gives the illusion that your life is more interesting than it really is. »
    Charles M. Schulz
  • « Pictures deface walls more often than they decorate them. »
    William Wordsworth
  • « Dressing up is a bore. At a certain age, you decorate yourself to attract the opposite sex, and at a certain age, I did that. But I'm past that age. »
    Katharine Hepburn

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