Unadorn

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove any decoration or embellishment from something, leaving it plain
2. To strip away ornaments or details so that an object or surface appears simple
3. To take off any added decorative elements, resulting in a bare or unembellished state

Etymology: "Unadorn" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-" attached to "adorn," meaning to strip away what has been added to something. "Adorn" itself comes from Latin "adornare," built from "ad-" (to, toward) and "ornare" (to equip, furnish, decorate), and it is the "ornare" root that gives English words like "ornament" and "ornate." The prefix "un-" is the old Germanic negation that English has used for centuries to reverse actions, as in "untie" or "unwrap." Attaching it to "adorn" produces a verb meaning to reverse the act of decoration, so "unadorn" describes taking the ornaments back off, leaving the bare form underneath.

Synonyms: bare, plain, simple, unembellished, austere

Antonyms: adorn, decorate, embellish, enhance, beautify