One-piece garments for women and girls that cover the body and extend down over the legs. Also refers to the third-person singular form of the verb 'to dress' meaning to put on clothes.
From Old French 'dresser' meaning to arrange, prepare, or set straight. The garment sense developed from the idea of 'dressing' or arranging oneself, evolving from a general term for clothing to specifically denote the one-piece feminine garment.
The modern dress as a single garment is relatively recent - for most of history, women wore separate tops and skirts, and the dress as we know it only became standard fashion in the 18th and 19th centuries!
Historically women's dress codes were codified and policed more strictly than men's; formal attire standards often carry gendered expectations and power dynamics.
When discussing professional or formal attire, focus on function and comfort rather than gendered categories. Use 'formal wear' or 'professional attire' instead of gendering.
["formal wear","attire","clothing"]
Women's reclamation of dress autonomy—from suffragists rejecting corsets to modern dress code resistance—asserts bodily agency over gendered regulation.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.