different between ornate vs posh

English

Etymology

From Latin ornatus, past participle of ornare (“to equip, adorn”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /???ne?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t

Adjective

ornate (comparative more ornate, superlative most ornate)

1. Elaborately ornamented, often to excess.

   • The house of Ruthven was a small but ultra-modern limestone affair, between Madison and Fifth?; […]. As a matter of fact its narrow ornate façade presented not a single quiet space that the eyes might rest on after a tiring attempt to follow and codify the arabesques, foliations, and intricate vermiculations of what some disrespectfully dubbed as “near-aissance.”

2. Flashy, flowery or showy
3. Finely finished, as a style of composition.

Related terms

• ornament

Translations

Verb

ornate (third-person singular simple present ornates, present participle ornating, simple past and past participle ornated)

1. (obsolete) To adorn; to honour.
   • 1552, Hugh Latimer, the second sermon upon the Lord's Prayer

     They may ornate and sanctify the name of God.

Further reading

• ornate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• ornate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• antero-, atoner, roneat, rotane, tenora

Italian

Verb

ornate

1. second-person plural present indicative of ornare
2. second-person plural imperative of ornare
3. feminine plural of ornato

Anagrams

• Antero, notare, noterà, Renato, tonare, tonerà

Latin

Adverb

?rn?t? (comparative ?rn?tius, superlative ?rn?tissim?)

Participle

?rn?te

1. vocative masculine singular of ?rn?tus

References

• ornate in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ornate in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ornate in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

English

Etymology

Unknown.

Most likely derived from Romani posh (“half”), either because posh-kooroona (“half a crown”) (originally a substantial sum of money) was used metaphorically for anything pricey or upper-class, or because posh-houri (“half-penny”) became a general term for money.

A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin". An example is given from Page's Eavesdropper (1888): "They used such funny terms: 'brads,' and 'dibbs,' and 'mopusses,' and 'posh' ... at last it was borne in upon me that they were talking about money."

Evidence exists for a slang sense from the 1890s meaning dandy, which is quite possibly related.

A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the cooler, north-facing cabins taken by the most aristocratic or rich passengers travelling from Britain to India and back. However, there is no evidence for this claim.

See also the articles mentioned in the References section below for additional discussion.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??/, IPA^(key): /p???/ (humorous or upper-class)
• Rhymes: -??

Adjective

posh (comparative posher or more posh, superlative poshest or most posh)

1. Associated with the upper classes.

2. Stylish, elegant, exclusive (expensive).

3. (usually offensive, especially in Scotland and Northern England) Snobbish, materialistic, prejudiced, under the illusion that one is better than everyone else.

Quotations

• 1919: "Well, it ain't one of the classic events. It were run over there." Docker jerked a thumb vaguely in the direction of France. "At a 'Concours Hippique,' which is posh for 'Race Meeting.' — Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, June 18, 1919

Derived terms

• posh wank
• poshen
• poshdom
• poshful
• poshly
• poshness
• posho
• poshy

Translations

Interjection

posh!

1. An exclamation expressing derision.
   • 1889: "The czar! Posh! I slap my fingers--I snap my fingers at him." — Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Was

Noun

posh (uncountable)

1. fragments produced by an impact
2. slush

Verb

posh (third-person singular simple present poshes, present participle poshing, simple past and past participle poshed)

1. (normally in the phrasal verb posh up) To make posh, or posher.

   Synonym: poshen

References

• posh at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Hosp., OHPs, PHOs, Soph, hops, hosp, phos, shop, soph

Maricopa

Noun

posh

1. cat

Romani

Alternative forms

• push

Etymology

From Old Armenian ???? (p?oši). Doublet of poshík.

Noun

posh

1. dust

References

• A?a?ean, Hra??eay (1979) , “????”, in Hayer?n armatakan ba?aran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume IV, 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 517a
• Vaillant, Jean-Alexandre (1868) , “pos'”, in Grammaire, dialogues et vocabulaire de la langue des Bohémiens ou Cigains (in French), Paris: Maisonneuve, page 123a