embroider
Verb
- decorate with needlework
- add details to
- To stitch a decorative design on fabric with needle and thread of various colours.
- To add imaginary detail to a narrative to make it more interesting or acceptable.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English embrouderen, frequentative of embrouden (“to decorate, embroider”), equivalent to embroid + -er. Middle English embrouden itself comes from Anglo-Norman embrouder, from Old French embrosder (“to embroider”), ultimately of Germanic origin, though the exact pathway is uncertain. Possibly an intensive of Old French brosder, brouder (compare Norman broudaïr), from Gothic *𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌶𐌳𐍉𐌽 (*bruzdōn), related to English bristle and brad. Alternatively, perhaps from Frankish *anbroʀdōn (“to embroider, stitch”), related to Old High German anabrortōn (“to embroider”), Old English onbryrdan (“to prick, incite”).
Synonyms
aggrandise, aggrandize, blow up, broider, dramatise, dramatize, embellish, lard, pad
Scrabble Score: 14
embroider: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordembroider: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
embroider: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary