garland

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

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑɹlənd/

garland (plural garlands)

1. A wreath, especially one of plaited flowers or leaves, worn on the body or draped as a decoration.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Alexander Pope to this entry?)

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.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Grafton to this entry?)

5. (dated) A book of extracts in prose or poetry; an anthology.
   • Percy

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

6. The top; the thing most prized.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

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.

• chaplet

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
2. (transitive) To form something into a garland

• Ragland