the.com/adornment
Decoration that insists it's self-expression, not insecurity in disguise.
means An object or detail added to a person or thing purely to make it more beautiful or striking, not to serve any practical function.
from Traces back to the Latin ornare, 'to equip or decorate,' with the prefix ad- ('toward') layered on in Old French as adorner before arriving in English. The same ornare root gives us 'ornament' and 'ornate' — all siblings in the business of dressing things up.
- etymology
- from latin adornare, to equip or embellish
- evolutionary theory
- peacock feathers are pure adornment, zero utility
- psychology
- signals status before a single word is spoken
- paradox
- meant to enhance, often just distracts