1. 1. To put clothes on; clothe.
   2. To furnish with clothing.
2. To decorate or adorn: dress a Christmas tree.
3. To garnish: dressed the side dish with parsley.
4. To arrange a display in: dress a store window.
5. To arrange (troops) in ranks; align.
6. To apply medication, bandages, or other therapeutic materials to (a wound).
7. To arrange and groom (the hair), as by styling, combing, or washing.
8. To groom (an animal); curry.
9. To cultivate (land or plants).
10. To clean (fish or fowl) for cooking or sale.
11. 1. To put a finish on (stone or wood, for example).
    2. To tan or prepare (a hide) in leather-making.

1. To put on clothes.
2. To wear clothes of a certain kind or style: dresses casually.
3. To wear formal clothes: dress for dinner.
4. To get into proper alignment with others: The troops dressed on the squad leader.

1. Clothing; apparel.
2. A style of clothing: folk dancers in peasant dress.
3. A one-piece outer garment for women or girls.
4. Outer covering or appearance; guise: an ancient ritual in modern dress.

1. Suitable for formal occasions: dress shoes.
2. Requiring formal clothes: a dress dinner.

dress down

1. To scold; reprimand: I was dressed down by the teacher for lateness.
2. To wear informal clothes, befitting an occasion or location: I dressed down for such a casual occasion.

1. To wear formal or fancy clothes: They dressed up and went to the prom.

dress ship Nautical.

1. To display the ensign, signal flags, and bunting on a ship.

[Middle English dressen, to arrange, put on clothing, from Old French drecier, to arrange, from Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre, from Latin dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere, to direct. See direct.]

WORD HISTORY   A dress is such a common article of modern attire that it is difficult to imagine that the word dress has not always referred to this garment. The earliest noun sense of dress, recorded in a work written before 1450, was "speech, talk." This dress comes from the verb dress, which goes back through Old French drecier, "to arrange," and the assumed Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre to Latin dīrēctus, a form of the verb dīrigere, "to direct." In accordance with its etymology, the verb dress has meant and still means "to place," "to arrange," and "to put in order." The sense "to clothe" is related to the notion of putting in order, specifically in regard to clothing. This verb sense then gave rise to the noun sense "personal attire" as well as to the specific garment sense. The earliest noun sense, "speech," comes from a verb sense having to do with addressing or directing words to other people.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.