Adorn

v. t. [imp. & p. p. ADORNED; p. pr. & vb. n. ADORNING.] [Lat. adornare, from ad and ornare, to furnish, embellish; Fr. adorner, Sp. adornar, It. adornare.] To deck or dress with ornaments; to embellish; to set off to advantage; to render pleasing or attractive.

As a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isa. lxi. 10.

At church, with meek and unaffected grace, His looks adorned the venerable place. Goldsmith.

Synonyms—To deck; decorate; embellish; ornament; beautify; grace; garnish; dignify; exalt; honor.—To ADORN, ORNAMENT, DECORATE, EMBELLISH. We decorate and ornament by putting on some adjunct which is attractive or beautiful, and which serves to heighten the general effect. Thus, a lady's head-dress may be ornamented or decorated with flowers or jewelry; a hall may be decorated with carving or gilding, and ornamented with wreaths of flowers. We embellish not so much by mere adjuncts, as by so modifying the thing itself in its constituent parts, as to render it more beautiful and attractive. Thus, a book may be embellished with rich engravings, which are not strictly adjuncts, but an integral part of the volume itself. So, the grounds around a house may be embellished with flower-beds and shrubbery, which form a constituent part of the scene. Adorn is sometimes identical with decorate, as when we say, a lady was adorned with jewels. In other cases, it seems to imply something more. Thus, we speak of a gallery of paintings as adorned with the works of some of the great masters, or adorned with noble statuary and columns. Here decorated and ornamented would hardly be appropriate. There is a value in these works of genius beyond mere show and ornament. All these words, except decorate, are used in a secondary and figurative sense; as, a character adorned with every Christian grace; a style embellished with rich and beautiful imagery. Still, there is at times a certain degree of vagueness in their use; and these remarks are only designed to show what is believed to be a well-founded difference between them.