ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dress

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈdɹɛs// UK //dɹˈɛs// dress Archaic Dialect General-service Humorous Slang

n. a piece of clothing for women or girls that covers the top of the body and hangs down over the legs.

n. a one-piece garment for women or girls that covers the torso and extends down over the legs.


SIMPLE

She wears a blue dress to the party.

CONTEXTUAL

The bride spent months searching for the perfect white dress for her summer wedding.

COMPLEX

The evolution of the evening dress throughout the twentieth century reflects broader shifts in social norms regarding formality and gender expression.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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 *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)).

Usage

Commonly used with verbs like 'wear', 'put on', or 'try on'.

Idioms2 entries

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