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festoon

noun
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fes·​toon | \ fe-ˈstün How to pronounce festoon (audio) \

Definition of festoon

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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.

festoon

verb
festooned; festooning; festoons

Definition of festoon (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to hang or form festoons on
2 : to shape into festoons
3 : decorate, adorn also : cover sense 4b
Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about festoon

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Did You Know?

Noun

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."

Examples of festoon in a Sentence

Verb We festooned the halls with leaves and white lights. The balcony is festooned in ivy. His office is festooned with newspaper clippings.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That block of Fifth Avenue features cozy festoon lighting strung between businesses and has been closed to traffic for concerts in the street in recent years. — Jenny Berg, Star Tribune, "Dining in the streets: St. Cloud's Fifth Avenue to close for more outdoor dining," 19 Mar. 2021 Observant Sicilians festoon altars with food in their homes as well as in churches, schools and public spaces. — Kathleen Squires, WSJ, "This Pasta Is a Party Waiting to Happen," 11 Mar. 2021 But jazz, drink and festoons of Union Jacks were poor covers for the discontent coursing through the party membership in Kettering, a town in central England that voted six-to-four in favor of Britain’s leaving the European Union. — Benjamin Mueller, New York Times, "The 0.3% of U.K. Voters Who Will Pick the Next Prime Minister," 6 July 2019 The three strand necklace, created from approximately 64 carats of round and emerald cut diamonds set in platinum is in the festoon style. — Stellene Volandes, Town & Country, "Charlotte Casiraghi Channels Her Grandmother Grace Kelly at Her Own Royal Wedding," 3 June 2019 Hence the magnificent gables, the plaster scrolls, escutcheons, vases, masks, garlands, festoons, cartouches, balustrades, and whatnot. — Steve King, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why We Keep Going Back to Amsterdam," 24 Dec. 2018 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 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Homeowners were encouraged to festoon their homes Fiesta-style. — Monte Bach, San Antonio Express-News, "Watch: King William House Float Parade gives San Antonio a different Fiesta experience," 20 Apr. 2021 The free, socially distant event encourages homeowners to festoon their homes Fiesta-style, so visitors can come and enjoy the spectacle, which runs Thursday through April 25. — Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, "Fiesta's King William Parade 2021 pulls a Mardi Gras with a 'parade' of house floats on display in south San Antonio," 13 Apr. 2021 In the Rogers Park neighborhood, Treacy Greer managed to hoist an 11-foot pine tree onto her third-floor deck and festoon it with 800 colored lights. — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area," 9 Dec. 2020 Today, southwestern Michigan is a place where Trump and Biden signs festoon lawns in equal number on some blocks, where the governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is such a lightning rod that people wear T-shirts proclaiming their hate or love for her. — Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times, "In Kalamazoo, Old High School Classmates Reckon With a Divided Country," 17 Oct. 2020 Her 2014 autobiography, A Fighting Chance, and recent stump speeches are festooned in pep club spirit and folksy blandishments, cloying bits of business that have attached themselves to her life story. — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, "Warren in the Trap," 13 Feb. 2020 During Spring Break, Florida’s beaches were festooned with college students who saw no need to practice social distancing on the sand, in the bars, or in their motels. — Diane Roberts, The New Republic, "God Save the Florida Governor From His Stupidity," 10 Apr. 2020 Stalls were festooned with yellow tape or chalk lines, to keep customers back and in line. — Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, "Staying 6 feet apart on the Embarcadero, and 6 feet back from the green onions," 21 Mar. 2020 African gods appear, masked and festooned in raffia, but intermission arrives without a strong sense of crisis, of what is at stake in the story. — Brian Seibert, New York Times, "Review: The Body Is Also a Percussive Instrument," 2 Mar. 2020

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.

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First Known Use of festoon

Noun

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for festoon

Noun and Verb

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

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Time Traveler for festoon

Time Traveler

The first known use of festoon was in 1630

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Statistics for festoon

Last Updated

24 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Festoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/festoon. Accessed 9 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for festoon

festoon

noun
How to pronounce festoon (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of festoon

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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

festoon

verb

English Language Learners Definition of festoon (Entry 2 of 2)

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

See the full definition for festoon in the English Language Learners Dictionary

festoon

noun
fes·​toon | \ fe-ˈstün How to pronounce festoon (audio) \

Kids Definition of festoon

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a chain or strip hanging between two points as decoration

festoon

verb
festooned; festooning

Kids Definition of festoon (Entry 2 of 2)

: to hang or form festoons or other decorations on

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More from Merriam-Webster on festoon

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for festoon

Nglish: Translation of festoon for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about festoon

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