1839, "the whole mass of ornament;" 1851 "that which serves as ornament;" 1860, "act or process of ornamenting," noun of action from ornament (v.).

"make pretty, embellish," especially in a petty, finical way, by the excessive or fanciful use of ornamentation, 1836, from pretty (adj.) + -fy. Related: Prettified; prettifying.

1540s, "things made or sold by a confectioner," from confection + -ery. From 1803 as "place where sweetmeats, etc. are sold." Of architectural ornamentation, from 1861.

1957, from no + frills. The expression no thrills meaning "without extra flourishes or ornamentation" is in use from 1870s; the original notion probably is of plain clothing.

Man with no frills (American) a plain person, a man without culture or refinement. An amiable term to express a vulgar fellow. [Albert Barrère and Charles G. Leland, "A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant," Ballantyne Press, 1890]

"style of architecture and decoration which prevailed in Europe late 17c. through much of 18c., later derided as clumsy in form and extravagant in contorted ornamentation," 1765, from French baroque "irregular" (15c.), said to be from Portuguese barroco "imperfect pearl," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Spanish berruca "a wart."

This style in decorations got the epithet of Barroque taste, derived from a word signifying pearls and teeth of unequal size. [Fuseli's translation of Winkelmann, 1765]

The Spanish word is perhaps from Latin verruca "a steep place, a height," hence "a wart," also "an excrescence on a precious stone" (see verruca). But Klein suggests the name may be from Italian painter Federico Barocci (1528-1612), whose work influenced the style. How to tell baroque from rococo, according to Fowler: "The characteristics of baroque are grandeur, pomposity, and weight; those of rococo are inconsequence, grace, and lightness." But the two terms have been used without distinction for styles featuring odd and excessive ornamentation.