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vesting

[ves-ting]
noun
  1. cloth that is usually of medium or heavy weight and has figures or ridges, as piqué, jacquard, dobby silk, or Bedford cord, originally used for decorative vests and now also for a variety of other garments.
  2. the granting to an eligible employee of the right to specified pension benefits, regardless of discontinued employment status, usually after a fixed period of employment.
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Origin of vesting

1805–15; vest (noun) + -ing1
Related formsnon·vest·ing, adjective, noun

vest

[vest]
noun
  1. a close-fitting, waist-length, sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, designed to be worn under a jacket.
  2. a part or trimming simulating the front of such a garment; vestee.Compare dickey1(def 1).
  3. a waist-length garment worn for protective purposes: a bulletproof vest.
  4. a sleeveless, waist- or hip-length garment made of various materials, with a front opening usually secured by buttons, a zipper, or the like, worn over a shirt, blouse, dress, or other article for style or warmth: a sweater vest; a down vest.
  5. British. an undervest or undershirt.
  6. a long garment resembling a cassock, worn by men in the time of Charles II.
  7. Archaic.
    1. dress; apparel.
    2. an outer garment, robe, or gown.
    3. an ecclesiastical vestment.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to clothe; dress; robe.
  2. to dress in ecclesiastical vestments: to vest a bishop.
  3. to cover or drape (an altar).
  4. to place or settle (something, especially property, rights, powers, etc.) in the possession or control of someone (usually followed by in): to vest authority in a new official.
  5. to invest or endow (a person, group, committee, etc.) with something, as powers, functions, or rights: to vest the board with power to increase production; to vest an employee with full benefits in the pension plan.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to put on vestments.
  2. to become vested in a person, as a right.
  3. to devolve upon a person as possessor; pass into possession or ownership.
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Idioms
  1. play it close to the vest, Informal. to avoid taking unnecessary risks.
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Origin of vest

1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English < Italian veste robe, dress < Latin vestis garment; (v.) late Middle English < Middle French vestir < Latin vestīre to clothe, derivative of vestis; akin to wear
Related formsvest·less, adjectivevest·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

empowerendowbestowconferinvestpertainbelongconsignsettleplacelodgefurnish

Examples from the Web for vesting

Historical Examples

  • The responsibility of vesting any man or any woman with such power was immense.

    Great Ralegh

    Hugh De Selincourt

  • Everywhere the system of vesting executive power in a president holding office for a term of years was adopted.

  • What are the reasons for vesting Congress with the right to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States?

  • This vesting of endowments in a religious house was already familiar at both universities.

    Cambridge

    Mildred Anna Rosalie Tuker

  • The rule with respect to the vesting of legacies payable out of real estate is somewhat different.

British Dictionary definitions for vesting

vest

noun
  1. an undergarment covering the body from the shoulders to the hips, made of cotton, nylon, etcUS and Canadian equivalent: T-shirt, undershirt Austral equivalent: singlet
  2. a similar sleeveless garment worn as outerwearAustral equivalent: singlet
  3. US, Canadian and Australian a man's sleeveless waistlength garment worn under a suit jacket, usually buttoning up the frontAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): waistcoat
  4. obsolete any form of dress, esp a long robe
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verb
  1. (tr foll by in) to place or settle (power, rights, etc, in)power was vested in the committee
  2. (tr foll by with) to bestow or confer (on)the company was vested with authority
  3. (usually foll by in) to confer (a right, title, property, etc, upon) or (of a right, title, etc) to pass (to) or devolve (upon)
  4. (tr) to clothe or array
  5. (intr) to put on clothes, ecclesiastical vestments, etc
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Derived Formsvestless, adjectivevestlike, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from Old French vestir to clothe, from Latin vestīre, from vestis clothing
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

Word Origin and History for vesting

vest

n.

1610s, "loose outer garment" (worn by men in Eastern countries or in ancient times), from French veste, from Italian vesta, veste "robe, gown," from Latin vestis, from vestire "to clothe" (see vest (v.)). The sleeveless garment worn by men beneath the coat was introduced by Charles II.

The King hath yesterday, in Council, declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes .... It will be a vest, I know not well how; but it is to teach the nobility thrift. [Pepys, "Diary," Oct. 8, 1666]
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vest

v.

early 15c., "to put in possession of a person," from Middle French vestir, from Medieval Latin vestire "to put into possession, to invest," from Latin vestire "to clothe," related to vestis "garment, clothing," from PIE *wes- "to clothe" (see wear). Related: Vested; vesting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper