Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Clothing, especially the clothing associated with a special occasion or office.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A garment; clothing: usually in the plural: as, the habiliments of war; fashionable habiliments.
  • noun A border, as of gold, pearls, etc., in ancient dress. See biliment.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A garment; an article of clothing.
  • noun Dress, in general.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Clothes, especially clothing appropriate for someone's job, status, or to an occasion.
  • noun Equipment or furnishings characteristic of a place or being; trappings.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a covering designed to be worn on a person's body

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English habilement, from Old French habillement, from habiller, to clothe, alteration (influenced by habit, clothing) of abiller, to prepare, strip a tree of its branches : a-, toward (from Latin ad-; see ad–) + bille, log; see billet.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English habilement, from Old French habillement "to clothe".

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Examples

  • She even wished to refuse him: – but Beech Park, the equipage, the servants, the bridal habiliment.

    Camilla 2008

  • Britannia, or her genius in the usual habiliment, a scroll — she appeared seated and behind her a figure of Hercules, emblematic of the great work so completely and speedily performed: above Fame appeared with a medallion of his Lordship and in the background a perspective view of

    Projection, Patriotism, Surrogation: Handel in Calcutta 2006

  • In the United Kingdom, as in other modern liberal democracies, there are few, if any, estrictions upon one's choice of habiliment.

    Archive 2008-06-01 Dan Ernst 2008

  • In the United Kingdom, as in other modern liberal democracies, there are few, if any, estrictions upon one's choice of habiliment.

    Two from Cox: Sumptuary Laws and Sovereignty Mary L. Dudziak 2008

  • “Why, then,” said Dick, giving the head-band of his breeches a knowing hoist with one hand, and kicking out one foot behind him to accommodate the adjustment of that important habiliment, “I dares to say the pass will be kend weel eneugh on the road, an that be all.”

    The Heart of Mid-Lothian 2007

  • Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter lived an exceedingly retired life — saw no company — seldom went out — had little use for numerous changes of habiliment.

    The Murders in the Rue Morgue 2006

  • As Vivaldi expressed his incredulity, however, he returned to examine the garment once more, when, as he raised it, he observed, what had before escaped his notice, black drapery mingled with the heap beneath; and, on lifting this also on the point of his sword, he perceived part of the habiliment of a monk!

    The Italian 2004

  • Sure your lordship's habiliment desarves to be as immaculate as your lordship's character.

    A Dialogue for the Year 2130 2002

  • It was precisely that virile habiliment to which a well-known gallant captain alludes in his conversation with the posthumous appearance of Miss Bailey, as containing a Bank of England 5 pound note.

    Tales of all countries 2004

  • And all this while they furnished them and garnished them of good men of arms, and victual, and of all manner of habiliment that pretendeth to the war, to avenge them for the battle of Bedegraine, as it telleth in the book of adventures following.

    Le Morte d'Arthur: Sir Thomas Malory's book of King Arthur and of his noble knights of the Round table 2003

Comments

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  • Someones attire.

    December 14, 2010

  • Habiliments sometimes refer to the adornments of non-human animals as manifested in the following passages.

    "The habiliments of the two forms of larks are more divergent than would appear at first blush. Above, the coloration of neglecta (the western) is paler and grayer than that of magna, the black markings being less conspicuous, and those on the tertials and middle tail-feathers being arranged in narrow, isolated bars, and not connected along the shaft" (Birds of the Rockies, Leander Sylvester Keyser, McClurg, 1902).

    "If there is anything shabby or deficient in the attire of a specimen, it is usually safe in spring to relegate it to the female persuasion, although in many cases the young males are condemned to wear the mean habiliments of the female until they have gained their glorious prerogatives (The Birds' Calendar, H. E. Parkhurst, 1894).

    May 20, 2012