Adonise
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To embellish or adorn, especially in order to improve the appearance of. transitive
"Delighted with each other......we rambled....arm in arm......about the citron groves;.......and, when a mossy bank invited our repose...my charmer would weave garlands of flowers to adonise her shepherd ; ..........recline upon my arm..... and to the gentle lullaby of a murmuring stream..... sink into forgetfulness"
- 2 Alternative form of adonise. alt-of, alternative
"both male and female Adonise their tails in this manner, which gives them a remarkable appearance amongst all other birds."
- 3 To enhance one's own appearance. intransitive
"Leaving a breath to swell his tradesmen's books, To adonise, to smile, and kill with looks;"
Example
More examples"Delighted with each other......we rambled....arm in arm......about the citron groves;.......and, when a mossy bank invited our repose...my charmer would weave garlands of flowers to adonise her shepherd ; ..........recline upon my arm..... and to the gentle lullaby of a murmuring stream..... sink into forgetfulness"
Etymology
From Adonis + -ise.
More for "adonise"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.