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decorative

adjective

  1. adding to beauty
L31343 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.tɪv/ / /ˈdɛk.ɹə.tɪv/ / [ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.ɾɪv]

adj

Etymology: From Latin decorātus + -ive. Cognate with French décoratif.

  1. That serves to decorate

    Elegant brick and stone buildings, with iron and glass canopies and decorative wooden scalloping and fencing—all evidencing care on the part of the architect to produce a pleasing, well-planned building—were submerged beneath a profusion of ill-conceived additions and camouflaged by vulgar paint schemes; and the original conception was lost.

    The parsnip, stilton and chestnut combination may taste good, but it's not terribly decorative. In fact, dull's the word, a lingering adjectival ghost of nut roasts past that I'm keen to banish from the table.

noun

Etymology: From Latin decorātus + -ive. Cognate with French décoratif.

  1. A plant, tile, etc. intended for use as decoration.

    Analysts said the company’s results were in line, but noted that organic growth at the decoratives business was slightly weaker than expected.