dress

Etymology

PIE word *dwís 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 *directiare, from Latin dīrēctus, the perfect passive participle of dīrigō (“to arrange in lines, direct, steer”), from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart; asunder; in two’) + regō (“to govern, manage”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“straight, right”). Doublet of direct. The noun is derived from the verb.

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. (also reflexive and figurative) To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
      He was dressed in the latest fashions.
      1. (specifically) To attire (oneself or someone) for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.
   2. To design, make, provide, or select clothes (for someone).
      The fashion designer was proud to have dressed the queen for the charity event.
   3. To arrange or style (someone's hair).
   4. (also figurative) To adorn or ornament (something).
      1. To arrange a display of goods in, or to decorate (a shop or shop window).
      2. (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.
   5. To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to give (a wounded person) medical aid.
   6. To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
      1. To prepare, treat, or curry (animal hide or leather).
      2. To prepare the surface of (a material, usually lumber or stone).
      3. (historical or England, regional) To remove chaff or impurities from (flour, grain, etc.) by bolting or sifting, winnowing, and other methods.
      4. (fishing) To prepare (an artificial fly) to be attached to a fish hook.
   7. (agriculture, horticulture) To cultivate or tend to (a garden, land, plants, etc.); especially, to add fertilizer or manure">manure to (soil); to fertilize, to manure">manure.
   8. (butchering) To cut up (an animal or its flesh) for food; specifically (hunting), to remove the internal organs (of a game animal) shortly after it has been killed so that the carcass cools more quickly; to field dress.
      But as he dressed the carcass—cutting it up to bring home—Borg’s gratitude gave way to revulsion. When he tried to extract the liver, which should have been firm and meaty, it deliquesced into a bloody sludge, sliding goopily through his fingers. December 2020, Tim Folger, “North America’s most valuable resource is at risk”, in National Geographic Magazine
   9. (cooking) To prepare (food) for cooking or eating, especially by seasoning it; specifically, to add a dressing or sauce (to food, especially a salad).
   10. (film, television, theater)
       1. To design, make, or prepare costumes (for a play or other performance); also, to present (a production) in a particular costume style.
       2. To prepare (a set) by installing the props, scenery, etc.
          Mallory, all night long, single-handedly painted and dressed the set so that at eight o'clock Sunday morning when we arrived to make breakfast in the kitchen, there she was sound asleep on the davenport in the set, every prop in place. 2012, Marvin Silbersher, chapter 22, in A Fistful of Stars, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, page 106
   11. (military) To arrange (soldiers or troops) into proper formation; especially, to adjust (soldiers or troops) into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other; to align.
       to dress the ranks
   12. (Northern England, archaic) To treat (someone) in a particular manner; specifically, in an appropriate or fitting manner; (by extension, ironic) to give (someone) a deserved beating; also, to give (someone) a good scolding; to dress down.
   13. (obsolete) To break in and train (a horse or other animal) for use.
2. (reflexive, intransitive, obsolete) To prepare (oneself); to make ready.
3. (intransitive)
   1. To put on clothes.
      I rose and dressed before daybreak.    It’s very cold out. Dress warm.
      1. (specifically) To attire oneself for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.
         They returned home early to dress for dinner.
   2. Of a thing: to attain a certain condition after undergoing some process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use.
   3. (euphemistic, chiefly in the tailoring context) To allow one's penis to fall to one side or the other within one's trousers.
      While measuring him for his trousers, the tailor asked him if he dressed to the left or the right.
   4. (slang) Ellipsis of cross-dress.
   5. (butchering) Of an animal carcass: to have a certain quantity or weight after removal of the internal organs and skin; also, to have a certain appearance after being cut up and prepared for cooking.
   6. (military, sometimes imperative as a drill command) Of soldiers or troops: to arrange into proper formation; especially, to form into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other.
      Right, dress! (literally, “Form a straight line, and align yourself to the right!”)
   7. (sports) Of a sportsperson: to put on the uniform and have the equipment needed to play a sport.
      Due to a left ankle sprain, the basketball player did not dress for the game against Indiana.

noun

1. (countable)
   1. 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.
   2. (archaic) 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.
   3. (film, television, theater) Ellipsis of dress rehearsal.
2. (uncountable)
   1. Apparel or clothing, especially when appropriate for a particular occasion, profession, etc.
      military dress
      He came to the party in formal dress.
   2. (archaic) The act of putting on clothes, especially fashionable ones, or for a particular (especially formal) occasion.
   3. (by extension)
      1. The external covering of an animal (for example, the feathers of a bird) or an object.
      2. The appearance of an object after it has undergone some process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use; finish.
      3. (figurative) The external appearance of something, especially if intended to give a positive impression; garb, guise.
      4. (archaic, historical) The system of furrows on the face of a millstone.
   4. (obsolete) The act of applying a dressing to or otherwise treating a wound; also, the dressing so applied.