decoration
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See also: décoration
English
Etymology
From Latin decoratio: compare French décoration. Morphologically decorate + -ion
Pronunciation
Noun
decoration (countable and uncountable, plural decorations)
- The act of adorning, embellishing, or honoring; ornamentation.
- Any item that adorns, enriches, or beautifies; something added by way of embellishment or ornamentation.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:decoration
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
- There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of his visitors, and two wicker armchairs with red cloth cushions for superior people. From the packing-cases had emerged some Indian clubs, […], and all these articles […] made a scattered and untidy decoration that Mrs. Clough assiduously dusted and greatly cherished.
- 1994, Stephen Fry, chapter 2, in The Hippopotamus:
- At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorations as the tree had recovered from the collision.
- Specifically, any mark of honor to be worn upon the person, as a medal, cross, or ribbon of an order of knighthood, bestowed for services in war, great achievements in literature, art, etc.
- (biochemistry, immunology) The use of exotic sugars as decoys to distract the immune system of a host
- (Hong Kong) refurbishment; renovation
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
act of adorning
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that which adorns
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any mark of honor to be worn upon the person
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
References
- (etymology) “decoration”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.