habiliment

American  

[huh-bil-uh-muhnt] / həˈbɪl ə mənt /

noun

1. Usually habiliments.

   1. clothes or clothing.

   2. clothes as worn in a particular profession, way of life, etc.

2. habiliments, accouterments or trappings.

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habiliment British  

/ həˈbɪlɪmənt /

noun

1. (often plural) dress or attire

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Other Word Forms

• habilimental adjective
• habilimentary adjective
• habilimented adjective

Etymology

Origin of habiliment

1375–1425; late Middle English ( h ) abylement < Middle French habillement, equivalent to habill ( er ), abill ( ier ) to trim a log, hence, dress, prepare (< Vulgar Latin *adbiliare; a- ⁵, billet ² ) + -ment -ment

Example Sentences

Playwright Dorranee Davis has woven an ancient habiliment for his modern comedy.

From Time Magazine Archive

The old part of the town, fiercely antebellum, rested in the stillest slackwater celebration of itself, in the habiliment of azaleas cutting into shadows with a soft-winged blue, or a deepening ruby.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

The fever departed, and Dr. Trefusis now in health, he walked abroad, dressed in his stolen habiliment, swinging a cane like a beau of the first fashion.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

But, having put on an entirely new habiliment, and it being the season when horses are beginning to do the same, he deemed it prudent to travel on foot.

From Imaginary Conversations and Poems A Selection by Landor, Walter Savage

First, with respect to the outward habiliment, the dress of the order.

From Secret Societies of the Middle Ages by Keightley, Thomas