ornare

Ornare is a Latin verb of the first conjugation meaning to adorn, decorate, or equip with ornaments. It is transitive and typically governs its direct object in the accusative, as in templum ornare (to adorn the temple) or domum ornare (to decorate the house). The verb can also be used figuratively to mean decorate or embellish speech, writing, or manners.

Its principal parts are orno, ornare, ornavi, ornatum. From the same stem, related forms include the noun ornatus (an ornament, adornment) and the adjective ornatus, as well as the supine ornatum. The root orn- connects to terms such as ornamentum (an ornament). In many Romance languages there are cognates, including Italian ornare and French orner, reflecting the common Latin heritage.

Grammatical notes: as a first-conjugation verb, ornare follows the standard pattern of present active indicative orno, ornas, ornat, ornamus, ornas, ornant; imperfect ornavam, ornavas, ornavat, etc.; future forms with -abo/-abis endings follow the usual system. The perfect active is ornavi (I adorned), with the supine form ornatum used in various constructions, such as "ad ornandum" (for the purpose of adorning).

See also: ornatus, ornamentum, ornare in Romance-language descendents. Ornare remains a common example in Latin grammar for illustrating transitive decoration-related verbs, and it appears in classical and ecclesiastical Latin texts to describe adornment of objects, spaces, or rhetoric.