dress
dress [drĕs] verb
dressed, dressing, dresses
verb, transitive
1. a. To put clothes on; clothe. b. To furnish with clothing.
2. To decorate or adorn: dress a Christmas tree.
3. To arrange a display in: dress a store window.
4. To arrange [troops] in ranks; align.
5. To apply medication, bandages, or other therapeutic materials to [a wound].
6. To arrange and groom [the hair], as by styling, combing, or washing.
7. To groom [an animal]; curry.
8. To cultivate [land or plants].
9. To clean [fish or fowl] for cooking or sale.
10. To trim and finish the surface of: dress a plank.
verb, intransitive
1. To put on clothes.
2. To wear clothes of a certain kind or style: dresses casually.
3. To wear formal clothes: dress for dinner.
4. To get into proper alignment with others: The troops dressed on the squad leader.
noun
1. Clothing; apparel.
2. A style of clothing: folk dancers in peasant dress.
3. A one-piece outer garment for women or girls.
4. Outer covering or appearance; guise: an ancient ritual in modern dress.
adjective
1. Suitable for formal occasions: dress shoes.
2. Requiring formal clothes: a dress dinner.
phrasal verb.
dress down
1. To scold; reprimand: I was dressed down by the teacher for lateness.
2. To wear informal clothes, befitting an occasion or location: I dressed down for such a casual occasion.
dress up
To wear formal or fancy clothes: They dressed up and went to the prom.
idiom.
dress ship Nautical
To display the ensign, signal flags, and bunting on a ship.
[Middle English dressen, to arrange, put on clothing, from Old French drecier, to arrange, from Vulgar Latin *dīrectiāre, from Latin dīrectus past participle of dīrigere, to direct. See direct.]
Word History: A dress is such a common article of modern attire that it is difficult to imagine that the word dress at one time did not refer to such a thing. The earliest sense of dress, recorded in a work written before 1450, was "speech, talk." The relationship of our modern sense to this early sense is explained by the fact that the noun dress comes from the verb dress, which goes back through Old French drecier,"to arrange," and the assumed Vulgar Latin dīrectiāre to Latin dīrectus, a form of the verb dīrigere,"to direct." In accordance with its etymology the verb dress has meant or still means "to place,""to arrange," and "to put in order." The sense "to clothe" is related to the notion of putting in order, specifically in regard to clothing. This verb sense then gave rise to the noun sense "personal attire" as well as to the important garment sense, which has made the fortune of many a fashion designer. The earliest noun sense, "speech," comes from a verb sense having to do with addressing or directing words to other people.