Ornamental
/ˌɔːr.nəˈmen.təl/noun
Used as decoration rather than for practical use.
Did you know?Ornamental enters English through Latin ornamentum, meaning “equipment, adornment, finery,” from ornare “to equip, furnish, decorate,” a word that originally carried the practical force of preparing something for use before it became pure beauty.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃er-
“to fit out, arrange, prepare”
Latin
Latin
ornare
“to equip, furnish, adorn”
Latin
Latin
ornamentum
“equipment, decoration, finery”
Old French
OF
ornement
“ornament, decoration”
Middle English
English
ornamental
“decorative; serving as ornament”