decoration

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The act, process, technique, or art of decorating.
2. n. Something used to decorate.
3. n. An emblem of honor, such as a medal or badge.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of decorating or adorning with something becoming or ornamental; the art of adorning, ornamenting, or embellishing.
2. n. The conferring of a badge, as of an order, or a medal of honor; hence, the badge or medal conferred.
3. n. That which embellishes; anything which decorates or adorns; an ornament.
4. n. In music, a general term for the various melodic embellishments, as the trill, the appoggiatura, etc.
5. n. In pyrotechny, the compositions placed in port-fires, rockets, paper shells, etc., to make a brilliant display when the case is exploded.

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of adorning, embellishing, or honoring; ornamentation.
2. n. That which adorns, enriches, or beautifies; something added by way of embellishment; ornament.
3. n. Specifically, any mark of honor to be worn upon the person, as a medal, cross, or ribbon of an order of knighthood, bestowed for services in war, great achievements in literature, art, etc.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of adorning, embellishing, or honoring; ornamentation.
2. n. That which adorns, enriches, or beautifies; something added by way of embellishment; ornament.
3. n. Specifically, any mark of honor to be worn upon the person, as a medal, cross, or ribbon of an order of knighthood, bestowed for services in war, great achievements in literature, art, etc.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the act of decorating something (in the hope of making it more attractive)
2. n. an award for winning a championship or commemorating some other event
3. n. something used to beautify