beautify

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to make more beautiful

   We beautified the old building.

2. 2
   verb

   to make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.

   I beautified the lawn by adding a tasteful gnome.

3. 3
   verb

   to be beautiful to look at

   Not many would argue that my child is beautifying.

4. 4
   verb

   To make beautiful; to increase the beauty of.

   1592, Robert Greene, Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit, London: William Wright, “Robertoes Tale” […] there is an vpstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers hart wrapt in a Players hyde, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best of you:

5. 5
   verb

   To become beautiful.

   […] it must be a Prospect pleasing to God himself, to see his Creation for ever beautifying in his Eyes, and drawing nearer to him, by greater Degrees of Resemblance.

6. 6
   verb

   To make oneself beautiful.

   She’d felt silly when she first put cucumbers on her eyes (to diminish puffiness), or oatmeal on her face (to cleanse the pores and absorb excess oils), or egg yolks in her hair (to make it shine). Her use of groceries had even made my mother laugh, then wonder if she should start to beautify.

7. 7
   verb

   Synonym of pretty-print.

Etymology

From Middle English beutifien, from Old French beaute (“beauty”), from Latin bellus (“beautiful, fine”), + -ify, from Latin facio (“make”).