garnish
pronunciation
How to pronounce garnish in British English:
UK [ˈɡɑːnɪʃ]
How to pronounce garnish in American English:
US [ˈɡɑːrnɪʃ]
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- Noun:
- something (such as parsley) added to a dish for flavor or decoration
- any decoration added as a trimming or adornment
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- Verb:
- take a debtor's wages on legal orders, such as for child support
- decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods
Word Origin
- garnish
- garnish: [14] Garnish was originally a fairly utilitarian verb, meaning simply ‘fit out, equip, supply’ or ‘adorn’. Its modern culinary application did not develop until the late 17th century. It came from garniss-, the lengthened stem of the Old French verb garnir ‘equip, adorn’. This was borrowed from prehistoric Germanic *warnjan, which presumably came from the same base as produced *warnōjan ‘be cautious, guard, provide for’ (source of English warn).The notion of ‘warning’ is preserved in the legal term garnishee [17], applied to someone who is served with a judicial warning not to pay their debt to anyone other than the person who is seeking repayment.=> warn
- garnish (v.)
- late 14c., "to decorate, adorn, beautify," also in Middle English "equip (a place) for defense; arm (oneself) for battle; prepare to defend," from Old French garniss-, present participle stem of garnir "provide, furnish; fortify, reinforce" (11c.), from Frankish *warnjan, from Proto-Germanic *warnon "be cautious, guard, provide for" (cognates: Old High German warnon "to take heed," Old English warnian "to take warning, beware;" see weir, and compare warn). Sense evolution is from "arm oneself" to "fit out" to "embellish," which was the earliest meaning in English. Culinary sense of "to decorate a dish for the table" predominated after c. 1700. Older meaning survives in legal sense of "to warn or serve notice of attachment of funds" (1570s). Related: Garnished; garnishing.
- garnish (n.)
- late 14c., "set of tableware" (probably a dozen; usually pewter), from garnish (v.). Sense of "embellishments to food" is from 1670s.
Example
- 1. Garnish each stack with a strawberry half .
- 2. Season with salt and pepper , to taste ; garnish with mint and serve .
- 3. 1 / 2 Cup chopped cilantro , plus several sprigs for garnish
- 4. 14 Whole chocolate wafer cookies , plus 4 crushed , for garnish ( see note ) .
- 5. To reheat , gently simmer a portion until hot . Plate and garnish with additional cheese and thyme .