garnish

/ˈgɑrnɪʃ/

/ˈgɑnɪʃ/

Other forms: garnished; garnishing; garnishes

A garnish is a decoration or embellishment, often used with food. It is also the verb that means to do the decorating: you can garnish a baked fish with a garnish of lemon slices and parsley.

Long ago, in 14th-century France, the word garnir meant, in part, "to warn or defend," a meaning that survived in one of the meanings of garnish, "to seize wages to pay a debt." But word meanings often branch out, and "to warn" came to mean "to arm oneself," and later "to fit out or equip." It came to mean "to embellish" in Middle English, and, from the late 17th century on, the word was used commonly for the embellishment or decoration of food.

Definitions of garnish

1. verb

   decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods
   synonyms: dress, trim

   dress, dress out

   kill and prepare for market or consumption

   dress

   put a dressing on

   type of:

   adorn, beautify, decorate, embellish, grace, ornament

   make more attractive by adding ornament, color, etc.
2. noun

   something (such as parsley) added to a dish for flavor or decoration
   types:

   topping

   a flavorful addition on top of a dish

   frosting, ice, icing

   a flavored sugar topping used to coat and decorate cakes

   glaze

   any of various thin shiny (savory or sweet) coatings applied to foods

   meringue

   sweet topping especially for pies made of beaten egg whites and sugar

   whipped cream

   cream that has been beaten until light and fluffy

   streusel

   a crumbly topping for a pastry

   type of:

   decoration, ornament, ornamentation

   something used to beautify
3. noun

   any decoration added as a trimming or adornment
   type of:

   decoration, ornament, ornamentation

   something used to beautify
4. verb

   take a debtor's wages on legal orders, such as for child support
   “His employer garnished his wages in order to pay his debt”

   synonyms: garnishee

   type of:

   attach, confiscate, impound, seize, sequester

   take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority