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apparel

Etymology and origin of the English word apparel

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈpæɹəl/[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English appareil,[2][3][4] from Old French apareil (“preparation; dress”),[2][3][4] from apareillier “to prepare, make ready, fit out”,[2][3][4][5] from Vulgar Latin *appariculare.[2][3][4][6][5] This is either from Latin apparare (“to prepare”),[2][3][4][6] the source of apparatus,[2][4] or from a diminutive of Latin par (“equal”), giving a sense “to make fit, join like to like”.[3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a verb, to make ready or prepare (about 1250);[7][4] as a noun, equipment, armour or the rigging of a ship (1330).[7][4]

Semantic evolution

Both noun and verb began with the general idea of preparing and equipping, and narrowed to clothing,[4] as French habiller “to dress” did.[4] The verb meant to dress in proper clothing from 1362,[7][4] and the noun, a person's attire, from the late 14th century.[4][7] The OED notes that both are now somewhat archaic in everyday speech,[7] though the noun is common in commerce for clothing.[2][5]

Timeline

  • about 1250 – verb, to prepare or fit out.[7]
  • 1330 – noun, equipment; a ship's rigging; clothing.[7]
  • 1362 – verb, to dress.[7]
  • 1377 – noun, appearance, aspect.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Clothing, especially outer garments; attire.
  2. Something that covers or adorns.
  3. The masts, sails and rigging of a ship.
  4. An ornamental piece of embroidery on certain church vestments.

Verb

  1. To dress or clothe.
  2. To adorn or embellish.

Word family

  • unappareled
  • wearing apparel
  • apparatus
  • prepare
  • dress

Usage notes

Random House lists clothes, dress, garb, costume, habiliments and vesture as synonyms of the noun.[5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Apparel.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/apparel. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·