garniture

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 14, 2019 is: garniture \GAHR-nih-cher\ noun

1 : [embellishment](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embellishment), [trimming](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trimming)

2 : a set of decorative objects (such as vases, urns, or clocks)

Examples:

"Above the fireplace: a scene of a cow jumping over the moon, in an elaborate gilt frame. On the mantle below, we see a clock…, flanked by garniture sturdy enough to be a murder weapon out of Agatha Christie." — [Rumaan Alam, Slate, 23 Aug. 2016](https://slate.com/culture/2016/08/from-goodnight-moon-to-richard-scarry-the-great-rooms-of-children-s-literature-reviewed.html)

"Once upon a time, this was probably one of a pair of vases that comprised a garniture set used to decorate a Victorian mantel. Its mate has vanished into the lost and found of history, but this one with its superb craftsmanship remains a thing of beauty." — [Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson, The New Hampshire Union Leader, 29 June 2019](https://www.unionleader.com/news/homes/treasures-in-your-attic-cut-overlay-vase-has-superb-craftsmanship/article33d9ca60-3506-59bf-9ab4-e1c090f80cd0.html)

Did you know?

In Middle French, garniture meant "accessory." It is an alteration of the Old French noun garneture, which is derived from the verb garnir, which meant "to equip, trim, or decorate." In fact, an Anglo-French stem of garnir, garniss-, is the source of the English verb [garnish](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garnish), which in its senses of "to decorate" and "to embellish" shares a similar relationship to garniture that the verb [furnish](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furnish) shares with [furniture](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furniture). Furnish comes from the Anglo-French furniss-, a stem of the verb furnir or fournir, which also gave rise to the Middle French fourniture, the source of the English furniture.