Etymology

dress

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Today it means: To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe. Full definition →

First used 15th c.Middle English dressen ← Old French dresser ← Late Latin *dīrēctiāre
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The story

  1. Classical Latin · derived fromdīrēctus
  2. Late Latin · derived from*dīrēctiāre“to guide, direct”
  3. Old French · derived fromdresser
  4. Middle English · inherited fromdressen
  5. English todaydress

PIE word *dwís Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dīs- Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós Proto-Italic *rektos Latin rēctus Latin dīrēctus Proto-Indo-European *-yetider. Latin -iāre Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre Old French drecierbor. Middle English dressen English dress 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)).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 15th c. To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
  • from 15th c. To attire (oneself or someone) for a particular (especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.
  • from 15th c. To adorn or ornament (something).
  • from 15th c. To arrange a display of goods in, or to decorate (a shop or shop window).
  • from 15th c. 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.
  • from 15th c. To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to give (a wounded person) medical aid.
  • from 15th c. To prepare (food) for cooking or eating, especially by seasoning it; specifically, to add a dressing or sauce (to food, especially a salad).
  • 14th–16th c. To prepare (oneself); to make ready.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.