dress
UK /dɹes/ · US /dɹɛs/ verb, noun
Forms dresses dressing dressed drest
- verb (also reflexive and figuratively) To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe. “He was dressed in the latest fashions.”
- verb (specifically) To attire (oneself or someone) for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.
- verb To design, make, provide, or select clothes (for someone). “The fashion designer was proud to have dressed the queen for the charity event.”
- verb To arrange or style (someone's hair).
- verb (also figuratively) To adorn or ornament (something). “It was time to dress the windows for Christmas again.”
- verb To arrange a display of goods in, or to decorate (a shop or shop window).
- verb (nautical) To ornament (a ship) by hoisting the national colours at the peak and mastheads, and setting the jack forward; when "dressed full", the signal flags and pennants are added.
- verb To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to give (a wounded person) medical aid.
- noun (clothing) An item of clothing (usually worn by a woman or young girl) which both covers the upper part of the body and includes a skirt below the waist. “Amy and Mary looked very pretty in their dresses.”
- noun (archaic outside of India) An item of outer clothing or set of such clothes (worn by people of all sexes) which is generally decorative and appropriate for a particular occasion, profession, etc.
- noun (by extension, India) Any item of clothing, or an outfit. “He wore a bright orange dress to the office yesterday.”
- noun Apparel or clothing, especially when appropriate for a particular occasion, profession, etc. “military dress”
- noun (archaic) The act of putting on clothes, especially fashionable ones, or for a particular (especially formal) occasion.
- noun The external covering of an animal (for example, the feathers of a bird) or an object.
- noun The appearance of an object after it has undergone some process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use; finish.
- noun (figuratively) The external appearance of something, especially if intended to give a positive impression; garb, guise.
Synonyms
attire don accouter address apparel array beclothe clothe dight garment enrobe equip invest put on robe slip on vest bandage put a bandage on get dressed frock garb wearing apparel clothes enclothe raiment tog habilitate fit out dress up
Antonyms
strip undress denude despoil dismantle disrobe divest doff peel put off strip down strip off
Etymology
The verb is from Middle English dressen, dresse (“to arrange, put in order”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French dresser, drecier (modern French dresser), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (“to guide, direct”), from Classical Latin dīrēctus, whence English direct. Further akin to Latin regō.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Compare typologically adorn (<< Latin ōrnō < ōrdō, whence also ōrdinō, English order, ornament); Russian наряжа́ть (narjažátʹ), наря́д (narjád) (akin to ряд (rjad), поря́док (porjádok)).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To direct; to put right or straight; to regulate; to order. [Obs.]
- verb To arrange in exact continuity of line, as soldiers; commonly to adjust to a straight line and at proper distance; to align; as, to dress the ranks.
- verb To arrange one's self in due position in a line of soldiers; --the word of command to form alignment in ranks; as, Right, dress!
- verb To clothe or apparel one's self; to put on one's garments; to pay particular regard to dress; as, to dress quickly. "To dress for a ball." Latham.
Etymology [OF. drecier to make straight, raise, set up, prepare, arrange, F. dresser. (assumed) LL. directiare, fr. L. dirigere, directum, to direct; dis- + regere to rule. See Right, and cf. Address, Adroit, Direct, Dirge.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dress”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details