misadorn

Etymology

From mis- + adorn.

misadorn means to adorn badly; to embellish with unflattering adornments. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

verb

To adorn badly; to embellish with unflattering adornments.“Let him not set many notes to any one syllable (notwithstanding that in former times it hath been a favourite fashion;) but let his music be such that the words may be clearly, and obviously understood, which will ever be the happy effect, when componsers do not stray from the modesty of nature, into the faulty pursuit of novel graces to misadorn her.”