clothe

English

Etymology

From Middle English clothen, from Old English clāþian (“to clothe”), from Proto-Germanic *klaiþōną (“to clothe”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to adhere to, stick”). Cognate with Dutch kleden, German kleiden, Swedish kläda, after apocope klä. See also cloth, clad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkləʊð/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkloʊð/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊð

Verb

clothe (third-person singular simple present clothes, present participle clothing, simple past and past participle clad or clothed)

1. (transitive) To adorn or cover with clothing; to dress; to supply clothes or clothing.

   to feed and clothe a family; to clothe oneself extravagantly

   • c. 1590-92 William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Act IV scene ii^[1]:

     Go with me to clothe you as becomes you.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Proverbs xxiii. 21

     Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

   • (Can we date this quote by Goldsmith and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The naked every day he clad, / When he put on his clothes.

2. (figurative) To cover or invest, as if with a garment.

   to clothe somebody with authority or power

   • (Can we date this quote by Watts and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     language in which they can clothe their thoughts

   • (Can we date this quote by J. Dyer and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     His sides are clothed with waving wood.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     words clothed in reason's garb

Derived terms

• beclothe
• overclothe
• underclothe

Translations

adorn with clothing

• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܥܛܦ (ʿṭaf)

• Armenian: հագցնել (hy) (hagcʻnel)
• Aromanian: nvescu
• Belarusian: апрана́ць impf (apranácʹ), апрану́ць pf (apranúcʹ)
• Bulgarian: обличам (bg) (obličam)
• Dutch: kleden (nl)
• Esperanto: vesti
• Finnish: pukeutua (fi), pukea ylleen
• French: vêtir (fr), habiller (fr)
• Friulian: vistî
• German: kleiden (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἱματίζω (himatízō)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: klæða (is)
• Ido: vestizar (io), metar (io)
• Italian: vestire (it)
• Latin: vestiō
• Maori: whakakākahu, tāwharu, whakapūngenengene
• Persian: لباس پوشاندن (fa)
• Portuguese: vestir (pt)
• Romanian: îmbrăca (ro)
• Russian: одева́ть (ru) impf (odevátʹ), оде́ть (ru) pf (odétʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgeadaich
• Spanish: vestir (es)
• Swedish: klä (sv)
• Ukrainian: одяга́ти (odjaháty), вдяга́ти (uk) (vdjaháty)
• Yiddish: אָנטאָן (onton)

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English clāþ.

Noun

clothe

1. Alternative form of cloth

Etymology 2

From Old English clāþian.

Verb

clothe

1. Alternative form of clothen