Garnish

Garnish, a word meaning to fit out, equip, furnish, now particularly used of decoration or ornament. It is formed from the O. Fr. garnisant or guarnissant, participle of garnir, guarnir, to furnish, equip. This is of Teutonic origin, the base being represented in O. Eng. warnian, to take warning, beware, and Ger. warnen, to warn, Eng. warn; the original sense would be to guard against, fortify, hence equip or fit out. The meaning of “warn” is seen in the law term “garnishee,” a person who owes money to or holds money belonging to another and is “warned” by order of the court not to pay it to his immediate creditor but to a third person who has obtained final judgment against that creditor. (See Attachment; Execution; Bankruptcy.)