English
dress
Dress comes from Middle English dressen ‘to arrange, put in order’, from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre ‘to guide, direct’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti‘to be straightening’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō‘to rule’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigō‘to lay straight’
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctus‘laid straight’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CE*dīrēctiāre‘to guide’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400dresser
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dressen‘to arrange’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1580dress
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti‘to be straightening’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō‘to rule’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigō‘to lay straight’
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctus‘laid straight’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CE*dīrēctiāre‘to guide’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400dresser
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dressen‘to arrange’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1580dress
Earliest quotation: c. 1580, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., (please specify the folio): “[A]ll the men there shoulde dresse themselves like the…”
The story
The verb is from Middle English dressen, dresse (‘to arrange, put in order’), from Anglo-Norman, Old French dresser, drecier (modern French dresser), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (‘to guide, direct’), from Classical Latin dīrēctus, whence English direct.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, real, rich, royal, regular, correct, rank, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rogue, interrogation, raj, rex, rake, rector, regal, regency, rani, rajah, rhesus, riel, dirigible, eldritch, derailleur, rectilinear, interregnum, retch, 77 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to be straightening, to be setting upright’
through Proto-Italic *regō
regional, resource, ruler, regiment, regimen, erectile, erectus, erector, 35 more
through Latin regō ‘to rule, govern, direct’
source, rule, region, regime, realm, regulate, resurrection, erect, regent, insurrection, rectify, rectum, incorrigible, régime, irregularity, rectification, rectitude, regula, recto, rectus, corregidor, regio, 47 more
through Latin dīrigō ‘to lay straight’
direction, directory, dirge, 3 more
through Classical Latin dīrēctus ‘laid straight, arranged in lines, having been…’
Today it means
verb To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- / dress