\A*dorn"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Adorned}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Adorning}.] [OE. aournen, anournen, adornen, OF. aorner, fr.
L. aaornare; ad + ornare to furnish, embellish. See {Adore},
{Ornate}.]
To deck or dress with ornaments; to embellish; to set off to
advantage; to render pleasing or attractive.
      As a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. --Isa.
                                               lxi. 10.
      At church, with meek and unaffected grace, His looks
      adorned the venerable place.             --Goldsmith.
Syn: To deck; decorate; embellish; ornament; beautify; grace;
     dignify; exalt; honor.
Usage: To {Adorn}, {Ornament}, {Decorate}, {Embellish}. We
       decorate and ornament by putting on some adjunct which
       is attractive or beautiful, and which serves to
       heighten the general effect. Thus, a lady's head-dress
       may be ornament or decorated with flowers or jewelry;
       a hall may be decorated or ornament with carving or
       gilding, with wreaths of flowers, or with hangings.
       Ornament is used in a wider sense than decorate. To
       embellish is to beautify or ornament richly, not so
       much by mere additions or details as by modifying the
       thing itself as a whole. It sometimes means gaudy and
       artificial decoration. We embellish a book with rich
       engravings; a style is embellished with rich and
       beautiful imagery; a shopkeeper embellishes his front
       window to attract attention. Adorn is sometimes
       identical with decorate, as when we say, a lady was
       adorned with jewels. In other cases, it seems to imply
       something more. Thus, we speak of a gallery of
       paintings as adorned with the works of some of the
       great masters, or adorned with noble statuary and
       columns. Here decorated and ornamented would hardly be
       appropriate. There is a value in these works of genius
       beyond mere show and ornament. Adorn may be used of
       what is purely moral; as, a character adorned with
       every Christian grace. Here neither decorate, nor
       ornament, nor embellish is proper.

\A*dorn"\, n.
Adornment. [Obs.] --Spenser.

\A*dorn"\, a.
Adorned; decorated. [Obs.] --Milton.