finery

¹ American  

[fahy-nuh-ree] / ˈfaɪ nə ri /

noun

1. fine or showy dress, ornaments, etc.

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finery ² American  

[fahy-nuh-ree] / ˈfaɪ nə ri /

noun

Metalworking.

plural

fineries

1. a hearth for converting cast iron into wrought iron; refinery.

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finery ¹ British  

/ ˈfaɪnərɪ /

noun

1. elaborate or showy decoration, esp clothing and jewellery

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finery ² British  

/ ˈfaɪnərɪ /

noun

1. a hearth for converting cast iron into wrought iron

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Etymology

Origin of finery¹

First recorded in 1670–80; fine ¹ + -ery

Origin of finery²

1600–10; < Middle French finerie, equivalent to fin ( er ) to refine ( fine ¹ ) + erie -ery

Example Sentences

Photos and videos from their colourful wedding showed the happy couple from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh performing rituals and posing in their finery.

From BBC

Every night, the gentlemen suit up and the ladies don their finery, although nothing is as fancy as when the family hosts balls or extremely fancy dinners for special guests.

From Salon

Once dressed in their wedding finery in the palace of the local ruler, the young women parade through the streets of Shao before the mass wedding is blessed by the priest of Awon.

From Barron's

He looks out the window and says “There’s a parade, and a great princess is walking by in all her finery . . .”

From The Wall Street Journal

It is a quintessentially British tennis experience: punters dressed in their finery, Pimm's in full flow and a beautiful setting, with as much care taken of the flowers and greenery as the pristine courts.

From BBC

Related Words

• apparel
• regalia