embellish
UK[ɪmˈbelɪʃ]US[ɪmˈbelɪʃ]
v
to make something more beautiful or interesting by adding decorations or details.
v
to make a story or statement more interesting by adding details that are not true.
Morpheme Breakdown
em
bell
ish
em
to put into, to cause to be
bell
beautiful
ish
to make
Etymology
the word embellish entered english in the late 14th century from old french 'embelliss-', the stem of 'embellir', meaning 'to make beautiful'. the french term was built from the latin prefix 'in-' (here assimilated to 'em-') meaning 'in, into' and the latin adjective 'bellus', meaning 'pretty, handsome'. the core semantic logic is thus 'to put into a state of beauty'. the latin 'bellus' is itself a diminutive of 'bonus' (good), suggesting a sense of 'small good' or 'delicate goodness'. over time, the english meaning expanded from the literal act of adorning an object to include the figurative act of adorning a narrative with invented details.
Analysis
Structure: em + bell + ish
em- (latin, prefix meaning 'to put into, to cause to be'), bell (latin root 'bellus' meaning 'beautiful'), -ish (latin/french, verbal suffix meaning 'to make').
Examples
she embellished the plain dress with intricate embroidery.
he tends to embellish his fishing stories, making the catch bigger each time he tells it.
the architect embellished the building's facade with classical columns and ornate carvings.