garnish [LME] The source of garnish is Old French garnir (also the root of garment [ME]), which meant both ‘to fortify or defend’, and ‘to provide, equip, or prepare’. The basic idea or the word was that you were adding something to what was already there. While this is still very much the core idea of the word, in Late Middle English senses ranged from ‘to adorn, make beautiful’ to ‘equip, arm, or fortify a garrison’. The primary modern sense, ‘to decorate a dish for the table’, is late 17th century.