embroider

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”).

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈbɹɔɪdɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈbɹɔɪdə/

• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ɔɪdə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: em‧broi‧der

embroider (third-person singular simple present embroiders, present participle embroidering, simple past and past participle embroidered)

1. To stitch a decorative design on fabric with needle and thread of various colours.
2. (figuratively) To add imaginary detail to a narrative to make it more interesting or acceptable.

• “embroider”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “embroider”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “embroider”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.