clothing

Etymology

From Middle English clothing, clathing; equivalent to clothe +‎ -ing. Cognate with Scots cleeding, cleiding, cleading (“clothing”), Dutch kleding (“clothing”), German Kleidung (“clothing”), Danish klædning (“clothing, dress, attire”), Swedish klädning (“dress”). Doublet of the dialectal English term cleading, from Middle English clething; compare also cladding.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkləʊðɪŋ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -əʊðɪŋ
• Hyphenation: cloth‧ing

Verb

clothing

1. present participle and gerund of clothe

Noun

clothing (countable and uncountable, plural clothings)

2. Any of a wide variety of articles, usually made of fabrics, animal hair, animal skin, or some combination thereof, used to cover the human body for warmth, to preserve modesty, or for fashion.

   Marco runs a clothing brand.

   You should wear warm clothing when it is cold outside.

   All but two pieces of clothing came out of the washing machine stained.

   A poncho is an item of clothing used by many people in Latin America.

   A shirt is an article of clothing that covers the torso and arms.

   • 1626 (date written), John Milton, “At a Vacation Exercise in the Colledge, […]”, in Poems, &c. upon Several Occasions, London: […] Tho[mas] Dring […], published 1673, →OCLC, page 67:

     From others he ſhall ſtand in need of nothing, / Yet on his Brothers ſhall depend for Cloathing.

3. An act or instance of putting clothes on.

   The clothing and unclothing of the idols was of special significance.

4. (obsolete) The art or process of making cloth.
   • a. 1706 (date written), John Ray, “[Discourse II. Of the General Deluge in the Days of Noah, Its Causes and Effects.] That there have been Great Changes Made in the Superficial Part of the Earth since the General Deluge, and by What Means.”, in Three Physio-theological Discourses, […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Innys, […], published 1713, →OCLC, pages 241–242:

     [M]any of the poor diſtreſſed People, being bereft of their Habitation, came into England, vvhere the King, in Compaſſion of their Condition, and alſo, conſidering that they might be beneficial to his Subjects, by instructing them in the Art of Cloathing, firſt placed them about Carliſle in the North, and after removed them into South-VVales, vvhere their Poſterity hath ever ſince remained.

5. A covering of non-conducting material on the outside of a boiler, or steam chamber, to prevent radiation of heat.^[1]

See also

References

Alternative forms

• clathing, clothyng, clothynge, clathynge, cloþing, cloþinge, cloþingue, claþing, claþinng, cloþyng, claȝing

Etymology

From clothen +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

• (Early Middle English, Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈklɑːðinɡ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈklɔːðinɡ/

Noun

clothing (plural clothinges)

1. What one wears; clothing, outfit, garments.
   1. A piece of clothes; an individual component of an outfit.
   2. The uniform or outfit associated with an occupation or position.
   3. (figurative) One's religious values and priorities.
   4. (figurative, rare) One's appearance or countenance.
2. Linen or sheets used as a cover or a protective layer.
3. The equipping or provision of garments.