Embroidered

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈbɹɔɪdɚd/

Definitions

1. Made a fabric or item more decorative by sewing patterns or designs with thread ; included extra imaginative details to make a story or account more interesting or impressive
2. Enhanced cloth by stitching ornamental designs on its surface ; introduced embellishments or fanciful additions to a narrative to enhance its appeal
3. Applied intricate stitching to decorate textiles ; elaborated on facts or descriptions by adding exaggerated or colorful elements

Etymology: "Embroidered" is the past participle of "embroider," which comes from Anglo-Norman "embrouder," a compound of "en-" (in) and "brouder" (to embroider), probably from a Germanic source related to the Old High German "brodd" (point or spike of a needle). The idea is literally "to work a design into cloth with a needle," so the figurative sense of embellishing a story is a later extension from the same act of decorating fabric. The word entered English in the Middle English period, when the textile trade and the vocabulary of fine needlework were closely tied to French-speaking courts and craftsmen. The older English word "broider" appears alongside it, and the two forms coexisted for a time before "embroider" became the standard form. The sense of exaggerating or ornamenting a tale appeared once people began using the verb metaphorically: a storyteller who "embroiders" a account adds decorative detail that was never part of the original cloth, so the sewing image carries over naturally to speech.

Synonyms: decorated, adorned