garland

Etymology

From Middle English garland, garlaunde, gerland, from Old French garlande, garlaunde, gerlande, guerlande (compare French guirlande), from Frankish *wierlōn, *wieralōn, a frequentative form of Frankish *wierōn (“to adorn, bedeck”), from *wiera (“a gold thread”), from or related to Proto-Germanic *wīraz.

Akin to Old High German wieren (“to adorn”), Old High German wiara (“gold thread”). More at wire.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑː.lənd/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑɹ.lənd/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaː.lənd/

Noun

garland (plural garlands)

1. A circular or linear decoration, especially one of plaited flowers or leaves, worn on the body or draped as a decoration.
   • 1717, Alexander Pope, The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC:

     Bestow a Garland only on a Bier

2. An accolade or mark of honour.
3. (mining) A metal gutter placed round a mineshaft on the inside, to catch water running down inside the shaft and run it into a drainpipe.
4. The crown of a monarch.
   • 1569, Richard Grafton, “Henry the Seuenth”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume II, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 911:

     [She] ioyfully receyued and welcommed mee, as the onely type and garland of her noble ſtirpe and linage, […]

5. (dated) A book of extracts in prose or poetry; an anthology.
   • 1765, Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry:

     They [ballads] began to be collected into little miscellanies under the name of garlands.

6. The top; the thing most prized.
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     And call him noble that was now your hate, / Him vile that was your garland.

7. (nautical) A sort of netted bag used by sailors to keep provisions in.
8. (nautical) A grommet or ring of rope lashed to a spar for convenience in handling.

Verb

garland (third-person singular simple present garlands, present participle garlanding, simple past and past participle garlanded)

1. (transitive) To deck or ornament something with a garland.
   • 2008, Preeta Samarasan, Evening is the Whole Day, Fourth Estate, page 206:

     Anand disembarks like a statesman from the Volkswagen to be garlanded immediately by five different women.

2. (transitive) To form something into a garland.

Anagrams

• Ragland