The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Garnish \Gar"nish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Garnished; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Garnishing.] [OE. garnischen, garnissen, OF. garnir
   to provide, strengthen, prepare, garnish, warn, F. garnir to
   provide, furnish, garnish, -- of German origin; cf. OHG.
   warn[=o]n to provide, equip; akin to G. wahren to watch, E.
   aware, ware, wary, and cf. also E. warn. See Wary, -ish,
   and cf. Garment, Garrison.]
   1. To decorate with ornamental appendages; to set off; to
      adorn; to embellish.
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            All within with flowers was garnished. --Spenser.
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   2. (Cookery) To ornament, as a dish, with something laid
      about it; as, a dish garnished with parsley.
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   3. To furnish; to supply.
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   4. To fit with fetters. [Cant] --Johnson.
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   5. (Law) To warn by garnishment; to give notice to; to
      garnishee. See Garnishee, v. t. --Cowell.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Garnish \Gar"nish\, n.
   1. Something added for embellishment; decoration; ornament;
      also, dress; garments, especially such as are showy or
      decorated.
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            So are you, sweet,
            Even in the lovely garnish of a boy.  --Shak.
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            Matter and figure they produce;
            For garnish this, and that for use.   --Prior.
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   2. (Cookery) Something set round or upon a dish as an
      embellishment, such as parsley. See Garnish, v. t., 2.
      --Smart.
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   3. Fetters. [Cant]
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   4. A fee; specifically, in English jails, formerly an
      unauthorized fee demanded by the old prisoners of a
      newcomer. [Cant] --Fielding.
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   Garnish bolt (Carp.), a bolt with a chamfered or faceted
      head. --Knight.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

garnish
    n 1: something (such as parsley) added to a dish for flavor or
         decoration
    2: any decoration added as a trimming or adornment
    v 1: take a debtor's wages on legal orders, such as for child
         support; "His employer garnished his wages in order to pay
         his debt" [syn: garnishee, garnish]
    2: decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods
       [syn: trim, garnish, dress]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

85 Moby Thesaurus words for "garnish":
   adjunct, adorn, adornment, annex, arrangement, array, attach,
   beautify, bedeck, bedizen, blazon, collectivize, color,
   color patterns, commandeer, communalize, communize, confiscate,
   dandify, deck, deck out, decor, decorate, decoration, distrain,
   dizen, doll up, dress, dress up, elaboration, embellish,
   embellishment, emblazon, emblazonment, emblazonry, embroider,
   embroidery, enrich, expropriate, fig out, fix up, flourish,
   flower arrangement, furbish, furniture arrangement, garnishment,
   garniture, grace, gussy up, illumination, impound, impress, levy,
   nationalize, ornament, ornamentation, paint, prank, prank up,
   preen, press, prettify, primp, primp up, prink, prink up,
   redecorate, redo, refurbish, replevin, replevy, sequester,
   sequestrate, set off, set out, smarten, smarten up, socialize,
   spruce up, titivate, trick out, trick up, trim, trimming,
   window dressing



Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:

Garnish
   overlay with stones (2 Chr. 3:6), adorn (Rev. 21:19), deck with
   garlands (Matt. 23:29), furnish (12:44).

     In Job 26:13 (Heb. shiphrah, meaning "brightness"), "By his
   spirit the heavens are brightness" i.e., are bright, splendid,
   beautiful.


Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

GARNISH, Eng. law. Money paid by a prisoner to his fellow prisoners on his
entrance into prison. .