Other forms: decorated, decorating, decorates
To decorate is to make something more beautiful with added touches. Decorate the cake, decorate the room, decorate for Christmas.
In British English, to decorate a room also means specifically to paint and paper it, and a decorator is that tradesperson rather than an interior designer. To decorate somebody is to award them a medal: decorated for bravery. Note decoration, decorative; and that the difference between decorating and designing is roughly the difference between the surface and the plan.
1verbdecorateTo make something more beautiful with added touches.
“We decorated the cake with strawberries and chocolate.”
2verbawardTo award somebody a medal.
“He was decorated for something he refused to describe.”
decorate is an adorning or honouring.
Latin decorare comes from decus, ornament or honour — the same root as decent, decorum and dignity. Decorating something and honouring somebody are the same verb, which is why medals are decorations.
Proto-Indo-European
*deḱ-
Latin
decorātus
Middle English
decorat — adorned
English, today
decorate
Built from
From Middle English decorat (“adorned”), from Latin decorātus, perfect passive participle of decorō (“to adorn, distinguish, honor”) (see -ate), from decus (“ornament, grace, dignity, honor”), akin to decor (“elegance, grace, beauty, ornament”), from decet (“adorn, befit”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA