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The noun festoon first appeared in the 1600s when it was used, as it still is today, to refer to decorative chains or strips hung between two points. (It can also refer to a carved, molded, or painted ornament representing such a chain.) After a century's worth of festoon-adorning, the verb festoon made an entrance, and people began to festoon with their festoons—that is, they draped and adorned with them. The verb form of festoon has since acquired additional, more general senses related not only to decorating, but to appearing on the surface of something, as in "a sweater festooned with unicorns." Perhaps unsurprisingly, this celebratory-sounding and party-associated word traces back (by way of French and Italian) to Latin festa, the plural of festum, meaning "festival."
Examples of festoon in a Sentence
Simon Hill, Wired News, 26 June 2025
The piece features festoon and fleur-de-lis patterns, and it can also be worn as a necklace.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 18 Oct. 2023
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
The play is set in a classroom designed by Douglas Cumming that’s festooned with Latin American flags and photos of Latin American artists, musicians and historical figures.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for festoon
Cite this Entry
“Festoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/festoon. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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festoon
1 of 2 noun
festoon
2 of 2 verb
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