Engarlands

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To embellish or beautify an item or location by encircling it with a decorative arrangement of flowers or green leaves
2. To adorn or surround an object with a chain or wreath of flowers or foliage for decoration
3. To enhance something by arranging a continuous line of blossoms or leaf clusters around it

Etymology: "Engarlands" is the third-person singular form of "engarland," a verb meaning to decorate something by wreathing it in a continuous line of blossoms or leaves. The verb is built from the prefix "en-," which turns a noun into a verb meaning "to put into or around," and "garland," a word for a wreath or festoon of flowers. Put together, it describes literally putting a garland around something. The base noun "garland" reached English from Old French "garlande," and its ultimate origins are uncertain. The verb's closest relative is the French "enguirlander," which carries the same sense of wreathing or festooning, so English likely shaped "engarland" on that French model. The "gu" of the French has softened to "g" in English, a common pattern in words borrowed from French.

Synonyms: wreaths, garlands, crowns, festoons, leis

Antonyms: INVALID