Word of the Day + Quiz | adorn

adorn • \ə-ˈdȯrn\ • verb

1. make more attractive by adding ornament, color, etc.
2. be beautiful to look at
3. furnish with power or authority; of kings or emperors


The word adorn has appeared in 106 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Aug. 14 in the Footsteps column “How to Find the Spirit of H.P. Lovecraft in Providence” by Noel Rubinton:

Mr. Hobbs and I went into Swan Point Cemetery, the beautiful place where Lovecraft is buried along with many of Providence’s best-known citizens, including 23 state governors. Because he died nearly broke, he was buried in a family plot, unmarked for many years until admirers paid for a stone.

Lovecraft’s is one of the most visited graves in the cemetery and workers at the gate often meet foreign tourists who struggle with English except to say “Lovecraft.” Offerings frequently adorn his grave, and the day we visited, there were pennies (a visitor said it’s connected to Lovecraft dying penniless), a plant and notes, including one marked with a lipstick kiss. As Mr. Hobbs talked about the regular procession of visitors, a car drove up and two men, off-duty police detectives, got out for a look. One of them said he was a Lovecraft fan and had always been curious to see the grave.


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