clothing

Etymology

From Middle English clothing, clathing, clething (whence also the dialectal English term cleading), 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”). Compare also cladding.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkləʊðɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -əʊðɪŋ

Verb

clothing

1. present participle of clothe

Noun

A baby wearing many items of winter clothing: headband, cap, fur-lined coat, shawl and sweater

clothing (countable and uncountable, plural clothings)

1. 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.
   • Milton

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

2. An act or instance of putting clothes on.

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

3. (obsolete) The art or process of making cloth.
   • Ray

     Instructing [refugees] in the art of clothing.

4. A covering of non-conducting material on the outside of a boiler, or steam chamber, to prevent radiation of heat.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

See also