apparel

[ uh-par-uhl ]

/ əˈpær əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR apparel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

clothing, especially outerwear; garments; attire; raiment.

anything that decorates or covers.

superficial appearance; aspect; guise.

Nautical. the masts, sails, anchor, etc., used to equip a vessel.

Ecclesiastical. a piece of embroidery, usually oblong, on certain vestments, especially on the alb or amice.

verb (used with object), ap·par·eled, ap·par·el·ing or (especially British) ap·par·elled, ap·par·el·ling.

to dress or clothe.

to adorn; ornament.

Nautical. to equip (a vessel) with apparel.

Nearby words

appar., apparat, apparatchik, apparatus, apparatus criticus, apparel, apparent, apparent candlepower, apparent horizon, apparent magnitude, apparent movement

Origin of apparel

1200–50; Middle English appareillen < Old French apareillier to make fit, fit out < Vulgar Latin *appariculāre, equivalent to ap- ap-¹ + *paricul(us) a fit (see par¹ -cule¹) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive suffix

SYNONYMS FOR apparel

1 clothes, dress, garb, costume, habiliments, vesture.

6 outfit, array, deck out.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR apparel ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

o·ver·ap·par·eled, adjectiveun·ap·par·eled, adjectivewell-ap·par·eled, adjectivewell-ap·par·elled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for apparel

As a test, Sun shipped over a container stuffed with apparel made in his home province.
'Made in China' Now Being Made in Africa|Brendon Hong|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The American Apparel adverts are deemed tacky and offensive because they dramatize, brazenly, the sex-drenched time we live in.
In Defense of American Apparel: Why a Hitched-Up Skirt Barely Conceals a Profound Social Confusion|Tim Teeman|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reliance on ever-lower wages is a big problem for apparel companies.
American Apparel’s Dov Charney on the Bangladesh Tragedy|Daniel Gross|May 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The new line will accompany an already existing collection of apparel and accessories by Authentic Brands Group.
Protest Mounts Against Rick Ross for Reebok; Zara Comes Under Fire for Slave Labor Claims|The Fashion Beast Team|April 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Critics and listeners were left confused whether Paisley was apologizing for his apparel or justifying it with his bizarre lyrics.
'Accidental Racist': Brad Paisley and LL Cool J Duet on the Confederacy in New Track|Jean Trinh|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His apparel was the ordinary jeans of the cowboy without vanity, and it was torn and travel-stained.
The Lone Star Ranger|Zane Grey
She promised to wear woman's apparel, and to let her head be shaved.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
Collars and other articles of apparel have been made of the fibre, which is also used in the manufacture of whips, &c.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 1|Various
But it was not only as a convenient and durable mode of apparel that the kilt and philibeg were advantageous.
Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745|Mrs. Thomson
Within the closet hung various articles of apparel, upholstery lumber of all kinds filling the back part.
Two on a Tower|Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for apparel

apparel

/ (əˈpærəl) /

noun

something that covers or adorns, esp outer garments or clothing

nautical a vessel's gear and equipment

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled

archaic (tr) to clothe, adorn, etc

Word Origin for apparel

C13: from Old French apareillier to make ready, from Vulgar Latin appariculāre (unattested), from Latin apparāre, from parāre to prepare

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012