festoon

1 of 2

noun

fes·​toon fe-ˈstün 

1

: a decorative chain or strip hanging between two points

walls decorated with festoons of flowers

2

: a carved, molded, or painted ornament representing a decorative chain

Around the mirror were carved festoons of grapevines.

festoon

2 of 2

verb

festooned; festooning; festoons

transitive verb

1

: to hang or form festoons on

2

: to shape into festoons

3

: decorate, adorn

also : cover sense 4b

Did you know?

The noun festoon first appeared in the 1600s when it was used, as it still is today, to refer to decorative chains or strips hung between two points. (It can also refer to a carved, molded, or painted ornament representing such a chain.) After a century’s worth of festoon-adorning, the verb festoon made an entrance, and people began to festoon with their festoons—that is, they draped and adorned with them. The verb has since then acquired additional, more general senses related not only to decorating, but to something appearing on the surface of something, as in “a sweater festooned with purple unicorns.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, this celebratory-sounding and party-associated word traces back (by way of French and Italian) to Latin festa, the plural of festum, meaning “festival.”

Synonyms

Verb

• adorn
• array
• beautify
• bedeck
• bedizen
• blazon
• caparison
• deck
• decorate
• do
• do up
• doll up
• drape
• dress
• embellish
• emblaze
• emboss
• enrich
• fancify
• fancy up
• garnish
• glitz (up)
• grace
• gussy up
• ornament
• pretty (up)
• trim

Examples of festoon in a Sentence

Verb

We festooned the halls with leaves and white lights.

The balcony is festooned in ivy.

His office is festooned with newspaper clippings.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Enlarge / Aurora's sensors festoon this Volvo VNL class 8 truck. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 21 May 2024

Bougainvillea festoons pathways in a riot of color, from coral and yellow to magenta, Jaipur pink, and mauve. —Vasudha Rai, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2023

Verb

But the Burj standout is its distinctive – and divisive – decor: gold leaf over lush blues, reds, and purples, festooned with Swarovski crystals and more than 30 different types of Statuario marble. —Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 2 Dec. 2024

Ashford Castle, Ireland This Five-Star 800-plus-year-old castle on the shores of Lough Corrib looks like a fairytale, especially in December, when snow covers its grounds, and the grand interiors get festooned with garland and other holiday décor. —Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

French feston, from Italian festone, from festa festival, from Latin — more at feast

First Known Use

Noun

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

festoon

1 of 2 noun

fes·​toon fes-ˈtün 

: a decorative chain or strip hanging between two points

festoon

2 of 2 verb

: to hang or form festoons on