From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishornamentor‧na‧ment1 /ˈɔːnəmənt $ ˈɔːr-/ ●○○ noun 1 [countable]DHHDECORATE a small object that you keep in your house because it is beautiful rather than useful a shelf covered with books and ornaments china ornaments2 [uncountable]DHDECORATE decoration that is added to something The building style is plain, with very little ornament.for ornament The coins were only ever used for ornament, not as currency.
Examples from the Corpus
ornament• Now Boston gets offered the Massachusetts as an ornament.• Christmas ornaments• Thieves stole all the silver and gold ornaments from the palace.• The music building is a structure with simple but gracious ornament.• The species is beautifully preserved, retaining something of its original lustre, and all the fine details of its ornament.• When she moved, ornaments rattled.• I have no use for second-hand books and unfashionable clothes and bits of ornament.• Top weighting had to be achieved by the disposition of proportion, ornament and light.• You see that the ornaments we are discussing are nothing if not arbitrary.• I bought a new Christmas tree ornament - do you want to see it?• Ugly ornaments don't deserve to exist.ornamentor‧na‧ment2 /ˈɔːnəment $ ˈɔːr-/ verb → be ornamented with something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
ornament• Sometimes the blades were elaborately ornamented.• To the left was a dinosaur of a stone pulpit, all arched and ornamented.• Veins are often dark reddish brown and the blade somewhat ornamented by reddish brown irregular spots.• The corners of the enclosure were ornamented by sculptured funerary lions devouring stags.• He specialised in lead figures of which excellent examples are found at Powis Castle in Powys, ornamenting the spectacular hanging terraces.• One in particular, about a metre high, pale lemon in colour, was ornamented with neo-classical bandings in blue and gold.Origin ornament1 (1300-1400) Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum, from ornare; → ORNATE 