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or·nate

(ôr-nāt)

adj.

1. Elaborately, heavily, and often excessively ornamented.

2. Elaborate or showy, as in style: ornate rhetoric.

[Middle English, from Latin ōrnātus, past participle of ōrnāre, to embellish; see ar- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

or·nately adv.

or·nateness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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