As a noun, it is a one-piece piece of clothing, usually worn by women or girls, that covers the body from the shoulders or chest down. As a verb, it means to put clothes on yourself or someone else, or to prepare something neatly or for a special purpose.
From Old French 'dresser' meaning 'to arrange, prepare, set straight', from Latin 'directus' meaning 'straight, direct'. It first meant 'to prepare or arrange', and only later specialized to clothing. The sense of arranging appearance led to the modern clothing meaning.
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