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1

festoon

noun fes·toon \ fe-ˈstün \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of festoon

1 : a decorative chain or strip hanging between two points

walls decorated with festoons of flowers

2 : a carved, molded, or painted ornament representing a decorative chain

Around the mirror were carved festoons of grapevines.

See festoon defined for English-language learners

See festoon defined for kids

festoon was our Word of the Day on 01/03/2013. Hear the podcast!

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Recent Examples of festoon from the Web

Five minutes after beer became legal at midnight, a big truck, gay with festoons, rumbled to the service entrance of the White house, bearing two cases—a brewer’s gift to the president.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "April 7 1933: New Beer's Day," 7 Apr. 2018
Inside the Little A'Le'Inn, pictures of UFO sightings, alien masks and military memorabilia decorate, festoon, cover and otherwise dominate the walls and ceiling.

— trevor hughes, USA TODAY, "Hunting for Area 51's aliens along Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway," 29 Mar. 2018
Rustic figures The cave had collapsed some years earlier, but that didn’t obscure the rustic figures of animals, fish and humans in daubs of black, white and red that festoon the entry wall.

— brian j. cantwell, The Seattle Times, "From Loreto, 3 day-trip adventures in Baja’s high desert," 31 May 2017
Graffiti bearing the team's red dragons logo festoons the outside of the old stand, which is adorned with littered stairwells and poured cement with all the charm of an old prison.

— motez bishara, CNN, "Champions League final 2017: Zinedine Zidane's incredible journey from Cannes to Cardiff," 1 June 2017
Rustic figures The cave had collapsed some years earlier, but that didn’t obscure the rustic figures of animals, fish and humans in daubs of black, white and red that festoon the entry wall.

— brian j. cantwell, The Seattle Times, "From Loreto, 3 day-trip adventures in Baja’s high desert," 31 May 2017
In December, the council approved the design for the street, including a portion of the road ordained with overhead festoon lights.

— ryan gillespie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Maitland moves forward in reshaping downtown," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'festoon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Festoon can also be a verb that is used as a synonym of "decorate" or "adorn" (as in "the room was festooned with streamers and balloons"). The verb "festoon," which first appeared in the late 1700s, comes from the noun "festoon," which appeared over 100 years earlier. "Festoon" traces back (by way of French and Italian) to Latin festa, the plural of festum, meaning "festival." "Festa" is also an ancestor of the English noun "feast."

Origin and Etymology of festoon

French feston, from Italian festone, from festa festival, from Latin — more at feast

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1630

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

2

festoon

verb

Definition of festoon

transitive verb

1 : to hang or form festoons on

2 : to shape into festoons

3 : decorate, adorn; also : cover 4b

See festoon defined for English-language learners

Examples of festoon in a Sentence

We festooned the halls with leaves and white lights.
The balcony is festooned in ivy.
His office is festooned with newspaper clippings.

Recent Examples of festoon from the Web

Catch character floats festooned with millions of lights during California Adventure’s Paint the Night parade, or watch Captain Lightyear soar over Sleeping Beauty’s castle in a new fireworks display at Disneyland.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here Are the 12 Best Things to Do in L.A. in April," 2 Apr. 2018
Still, and despite their low coefficient of friction, the posts became festooned with fans, all of whom would be classified by taxonomists as people.

— steve mirsky, Scientific American, "Silliness and Scams Seem to Always Hitch a Ride with Human Activity," 1 Apr. 2018
According to Orth, the gold box was festooned with white orchids, placed inside a larger wooden box wrapped with official seals, and speedily returned to Italy by plane.

— molly young, GQ, "The Excessive Vision of Donatella Versace," 20 Mar. 2018
Red, white and blue festooned the grounds, and the scent of hot dogs and funnel cakes greased the air.

— laura mallonee, WIRED, "An Aerial Spectacle in the Wright Brothers' Backyard," 16 Mar. 2018
Painted in patriotic Swedish blue and yellow, it is festooned with large ventilation pipes that can keep out gamma radiation and other potential hazards.

— alexander smith, NBC News, "Sweden plans to build more bunkers amid fears of Russian aggression," 6 Mar. 2018
And for Valentine’s Day this year, the athletes on Norway’s men’s curling team in PyeongChang did not disappoint, festooning their lower halves in bubblegum-pink attire bedecked with festive hearts.

— raisa bruner, Time, "Norway's Curling Team Takes Valentine's Day So Seriously They Put on Their Fanciest Pants," 14 Feb. 2018
At Fork, guests came in groups to order the darkly lacquered duck that arrives at tables whole and festooned with a bouquet of fresh herbs and flowers.

— eli kulp, Bon Appetit, "An Amtrak Crash Left Chef Eli Kulp Confined to a Wheelchair—But It Hasn't Kept Him from Running 4 Restaurants," 31 Jan. 2018
There are trees festooned with twinkling white lights, parking lots, upscale chain restaurants.

— devra first, BostonGlobe.com, "At Mastro’s Ocean Club and LoLa 42 in the Seaport, an escape from the known city," 12 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'festoon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of festoon

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1765

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

festoon Synonyms

Synonyms

adorn, array, beautify, bedeck, bedizen, blazon, caparison, deck, decorate, do, do up, doll up, drape, dress, embellish, emblaze, emboss, enrich, fancify, fancy up, garnish, glitz (up), grace, gussy up, ornament, pretty (up), trim;

Antonyms

blemish, deface, disfigure, mar, scar, spoil;

Near Antonyms

simplify, streamline;

bare, denude, dismantle, display, divest, expose, reveal, strip, uncover;

Related Words

accessorize, dress up, trap, trick (out);

brighten, freshen, smarten, spruce (up);

braid, embroider, feather, figure, filigree, fillet, flounce, frill, fringe, furbelow, garland, hang, lace, ribbon, swag, wreathe;

appliqué, gild, paint;

FESTOON Defined for English Language Learners

festoon

noun

Definition of festoon for English Language Learners

: a long chain or strip of something (such as flowers or cloth) that is hung as a decoration

festoon

verb

Definition of festoon for English Language Learners

: to cover or decorate (something) with many small objects, pieces of paper, etc.

FESTOON Defined for Kids

1

festoon

noun fes·toon \ fe-ˈstün \

Definition of festoon for Students

: a chain or strip hanging between two points as decoration

2

festoon

verb

Definition of festoon for Students

festooned; festooning

: to hang or form festoons or other decorations on

Learn More about festoon

See words that rhyme with festoon Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for festoon Spanish Central: Translation of festoon Nglish: Translation of festoon for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about festoon

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up festoon? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

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WORD OF THE DAY

loath

play

unwilling or reluctant

BROWSE DICTIONARY

festivity

festivous

festoon

festoon cloud

festoon drier

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Examples: festoon in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?