WordValegarnishment
withholding wages by court order to pay a debt
In more detail
1. (noun) a legal process in which money is taken from someone's wages or bank account to pay a debt
2. (noun) a decoration or ornament added to food when serving it
Examples
- 1. The court ordered wage garnishment to collect the unpaid loan.
- 2. The chef added a parsley garnishment to the plate.
How to use garnishment
In legal contexts, garnishment refers to a court-ordered process where a creditor recovers a debt by claiming funds directly from the debtor's income or account. In culinary contexts, it means a small decoration placed on a plate for visual appeal. These two meanings are unrelated etymologically and contextually distinct.
Common phrases
- wage garnishment
- garnishment order
- garnishment proceeding
- garnishment of wages
- food garnishment
- serve with a garnishment
Synonyms
wage attachment · wage levy · decoration · embellishment · trim
Word family
garnish (verb) · garnishee (noun) · garnished (adjective)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse garnishment (the legal process) with the more common verb 'garnish' and may not recognize it as a noun in legal documents. In cooking, some mistakenly think garnishes must be edible, though many are purely decorative.
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