apparel

[ uh-par-uhl ]

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.

verb (used with object)

, ap·par·eled, ap·par·el·ing or (especially British) ap·par·elled, ap·par·el·ling.

1. to dress or clothe.

   Synonyms: array, outfit

2. to adorn; ornament.
3. Nautical. to equip (a vessel) with apparel.

apparel

/ əˈpærəl /

noun

1. something that covers or adorns, esp outer garments or clothing
2. nautical a vessel's gear and equipment

verb

1. archaic.
   tr to clothe, adorn, etc

Other Words From

• over·ap·pareled adjective
• unap·pareled adjective
• well-ap·pareled adjective
• well-ap·parelled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of apparel¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of apparel¹

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

Example Sentences

Among other achievements, Jarmond helped the Bruins land a new apparel contract with Jordan Brand and Nike after Under Armour abandoned its commitment to a record-setting deal with the school and has positioned UCLA’s 25 varsity sports to compete in the evolving name, image and likeness space with several initiatives.

From Los Angeles Times

Industries such as automotive, electronics and apparel retail could face significant pressures under his proposed tariffs, according to a report by asset management company Janus Henderson.

From Salon

In a small corner of rural Taiwan, set amongst other dye houses and small factories, the start-up Alchemie Technology is in the final phase of rolling out a project it claims will upend the global apparel industry and slash its carbon footprint.

From BBC

The UK-based start-up has targeted one of the dirtiest parts of the apparel industry - dyeing fabric - with the world’s first digital dyeing process.

From BBC

The apparel industry uses an estimated five trillion litres of water each year to simply dye fabric, according to the World Resources Institute, a US-based non-profit research centre.

From BBC

Related Words

• dress
• equipment
• garment
• gear