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Although we now mostly garnish food, the general application of the "decorate" sense is older. The link between embellishing an object or space and adding a little parsley to a plate is not too hard to see, but how does the sense relating to debtors' wages fit in? The answer lies in the word's Anglo-French root, garnir, which has various meanings including "to give notice or legal summons" and "to decorate." Before wages were garnished, the debtor would be served with a legal summons or warning. The legal sense of garnish now focuses on the taking of the wages, but it is rooted in the action of furnishing the warning.
Synonyms
Examples of garnish in a Sentence
Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2024
Small touches, like a fresh lemon on the drinks cabinet for garnishing cocktails, or the selection of prestamped postcards at the writing desk, speak volumes about the care that’s gone into the design: intentional, without feeling fussy.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024
This summer sipper serves 8 and is even more appealing garnished with lime slices, diced watermelon, or mint leaves.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2024
The Pinch Me is even garnished with lucky marshmallows for an extra festive touch.
—Aly Walansky, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
The algorithmic posts are garnished with ads served by Google’s ad platform.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024
Serve with additional cilantro, the tortilla chips and diced avocado for garnishing.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024
Seven Swans’ garnishing station is almost as big as its crepe-making station.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024
These two Heraclea varieties (available in a convenient bundle) ought to cover all your EVOO bases: The light and peppery Early blend is best for dipping and garnishing, while Mature, a milder and pleasantly unctuous oil, is great for marinades, baking, and cooking.
—Sara Coughlin, SELF, 13 Mar. 2024
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
Though wasabi is most commonly served alongside Japanese dishes like sushi and sashimi, the paste is also a popular garnish or ingredient in some unexpected foods.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
After all, the smartphone operating system market is essentially divided between the two companies, so having the same AI garnish on both Android and iOS could raise questions.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
Strain up into a coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2024
Blackberry Brandy 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice Fresh blackberries (for garnish)
Lemon wedges (for garnish)
Instructions: In a shaker, combine Crown Royal Fine De Luxe, blackberry brandy, and fresh lemon juice with a handful of ice.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2024
The wildest dessert is a sundae built with Girl Scout cookies, some embedded in the custardy ice cream (Do-si-dos), others put to work as garnishes (Tagalongs).
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Be your own mixologist for this green St. Patrick's Day drink by choosing your favorite flavor of rum, then pick between fresh mint or basil leaves for garnish.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2024
Return most of the mushrooms to the pan (including any liquid from the bowl), reserving some of the mushrooms for garnish.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'garnish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb
Middle English garnishen "to equip, decorate," borrowed from Anglo-French garniss-, present stem of garnir, warnir "to give notice, warn, instruct, give legal summons, provide (for), equip, trim, decorate," going back to Old Low Franconian *warnjan-, variant or reduction of West Germanic *warnōjan- "to make aware" — more at warn
Noun
derivative of garnish entry 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Dictionary Entries Near garnish
Cite this Entry
“Garnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garnish. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
garnish
verb
Legal Definition
Transitive verb
Anglo-French garniss-, stem of garnir to garnish, give legal summons, warn, from Old French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German warnōn to take heed
More from Merriam-Webster on garnish
Nglish: Translation of garnish for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of garnish for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about garnish
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