A Garland of Flowers, and a Garland of Poems
A garland is a ring of flowers or leaves worn or hung as decoration. Book titles borrowed the word long ago, and so did the word anthology.
A garland is a wreath of flowers or leaves, worn on the head or hung as decoration. Editors borrowed it for collections: a garland of verse is a gathering of the best. The same image is inside *anthology*, from the Greek for flower-gathering.
- A ring of flowers or leaves. *A garland of marigolds.*
- A collection of poems or songs. *A garland of ballads.*
- To decorate with garlands. *The hall was garlanded.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | garland | A fresh garland. |
| Plural | garlands | Garlands of ivy. |
| Verb | garland | Garland the arch. |
| Related | wreath | A funeral wreath. |
| Related | lei | A Hawaiian lei. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The winner was given a garland of laurel.The classical prize.
- Garlands hung across the street for the festival.Decoration.
- The book is a garland of unpublished letters.The literary sense, now old-fashioned.
Rings of flowers, by name
- Garland — the general word, worn or hung
- Wreath — a circular one, often for mourning or Christmas
- Lei — a Hawaiian necklace of flowers
- Chaplet — a small circle worn on the head
- Festoon — a chain hung in a curve between two points
From Old French *garlande*, of uncertain origin. English has used it since the fourteenth century for both the flowers and, by metaphor, for honours won.
Garland or wreath?
A wreath is always a closed circle and often marks a death or a season. A garland may be a rope or a chain of flowers as well as a ring.
What does *garlanded* mean about a person?
Loaded with honours. A garlanded director is one who has won many awards.