apparel

American  

[uh-par-uhl] / əˈpær əl /

noun

1. clothing, especially outerwear; garments; attire; raiment.

   Synonyms:

   vesture , costume , garb , dress , clothes

2. anything that decorates or covers.

3. superficial appearance; aspect; guise.

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

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

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verb (used with object)

appareled, appareling apparelled, apparelling

1. to dress or clothe.

   Synonyms:

   array , outfit

2. to adorn; ornament.

3. Nautical.  to equip (a vessel) with apparel.

apparel British  

/ əˈpærəl /

noun

1. something that covers or adorns, esp outer garments or clothing

2. nautical a vessel's gear and equipment

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verb

1. archaic  (tr) to clothe, adorn, etc

Other Word Forms

• overappareled adjective
• unappareled adjective
• well-appareled adjective
• well-apparelled adjective

Etymology

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 ( par ¹ -cule ¹ ) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive suffix

Example Sentences

Industries that contracted included apparel, textiles, paper products, chemicals and transportation equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal

McDonald wants his team to focus on the Mindful Athlete: goal-oriented, active people who mix and match athletic and lifestyle apparel.

From The Wall Street Journal

A handful of apparel companies staged significant rallies on better-than-expected quarterly results.

From The Wall Street Journal

Younger shoppers are emerging as an important driver of growth for the industry, Morning Consult’s data suggests, with wealthy millennials and Gen Z adults leading demand for high-end apparel.

From Barron's

Younger shoppers are emerging as an important driver of growth for the industry, Morning Consult’s data suggests, with wealthy millennials and Gen Z adults leading demand for high-end apparel.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dress
• equipment
• garment
• gear