Dress \Dress\ (dr[e^]s), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dressed (dr[e^]st) or Drest; p. pr. & vb. n. Dressing.]

[OF. drecier to make straight, raise, set up, prepare, arrange, F. dresser, (assumed) LL. directiare, fr. L. dirigere, directum, to direct; dis- + regere to rule. See Right, and cf. Address, Adroit, Direct, Dirge.]

1. To direct; to put right or straight; to regulate; to order. [Obs.]

[1913 Webster]

At all times thou shalt bless God and pray Him to dress thy ways. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Note: Dress is used reflexively in Old English, in sense of "to direct one's step; to address one's self." [1913 Webster]

To Grisild again will I me dresse. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

2. (Mil.) To arrange in exact continuity of line, as soldiers; commonly to adjust to a straight line and at proper distance; to align; as, to dress the ranks. [1913 Webster]

3. (Med.) To treat methodically with remedies, bandages, or curative appliances, as a sore, an ulcer, a wound, or a wounded or diseased part. [1913 Webster]

4. To adjust; to put in good order; to arrange; specifically:
   (a) To prepare for use; to fit for any use; to render suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready; as, to dress a slain animal; to dress meat; to dress leather or cloth; to dress or trim a lamp; to dress a garden; to dress a horse, by currying and rubbing; to dress grain, by cleansing it; in mining and metallurgy, to dress ores, by sorting and separating them. [1913 Webster]

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it. --Gen. ii. 15. [1913 Webster]

When he dresseth the lamps he shall burn incense. --Ex. xxx. 7. [1913 Webster]

Three hundred horses . . . smoothly dressed. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

Dressing their hair with the white sea flower. --Tennyson . [1913 Webster]

If he felt obliged to expostulate, he might have dressed his censures in a kinder form. --Carlyle.
   (b) To cut to proper dimensions, or give proper shape to, as to a tool by hammering; also, to smooth or finish.
   (c) To put in proper condition by appareling, as the body; to put clothes upon; to apparel; to invest with garments or rich decorations; to clothe; to deck. [1913 Webster]

Dressed myself in such humility. -- Shak. [1913 Webster]

Prove that ever Idress myself handsome till thy return. --Shak.
   (d) To break and train for use, as a horse or other animal. [1913 Webster]

To dress up or To dress out, to dress elaborately, artificially, or pompously. "You see very often a king of England or France dressed up like a Julius C[ae]sar." --Addison.

To dress a ship (Naut.), to ornament her by hoisting the national colors at the peak and mastheads, and setting the jack forward; when dressed full, the signal flags and pennants are added. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Syn: To attire; apparel; clothe; accouter; array; robe; rig; trim; deck; adorn; embellish. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

Dressing \Dress"ing\, n.

1. Dress; raiment; especially, ornamental habiliment or attire. --B. Jonson. [1913 Webster]

2. (Surg.) An application (a remedy, bandage, etc.) to cover a sore or wound. --Wiseman. [1913 Webster]

3. Manure or compost over land. When it remains on the surface, it is called a top-dressing. [1913 Webster]

4. (Cookery)
   (a) A preparation, such as a sauce, to flavor food for eating; a condiment; as, a dressing for salad.
   (b) The stuffing of fowls, pigs, etc.; forcemeat. [1913 Webster]

5. Gum, starch, and the like, used in stiffening or finishing silk, linen, and other fabrics. [1913 Webster]

6. An ornamental finish, as a molding around doors, windows, or on a ceiling, etc. [1913 Webster]

7. Castigation; scolding; -- often with down. [Colloq.]

[1913 Webster]

Dressing case, a case of toilet utensils.

Dressing forceps, a variety of forceps, shaped like a pair of scissors, used in dressing wounds.

Dressing gown, a light gown, such as is used by a person while dressing; a study gown.

Dressing room, an apartment appropriated for making one's toilet.

Top-dressing, manure or compost spread over land and not worked into the soil. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

154 Moby Thesaurus words for "dressing": Ace bandage, Band-Aid, ablation, abrasion, abrasive, adhesive tape, ammonia, apparel, application, array, ass-reaming, attire, attrition, band, bandage, bandaging, bawling-out, bedizenment, binder, brace, buffing, burnishing, cast, castor-bean meal, cataplasm, chafe, chafing, chewing, clothes, clothing, commercial fertilizer, compost, compress, contour plowing, costume, cotton, court plaster, cravat, cultivating, cultivation, culture, cussing-out, detrition, drapery, dress, dressing-down, duds, dung, elastic bandage, enrichener, epithem, erasure, erosion, fallowing, farce, fashion, fatigues, feathers, fertilizer, fig, filing, forcemeat, four-tailed bandage, fretting, furrowing, galling, garb, garments, gauze, gear, going-over, grazing, grinding, guano, guise, habiliment, habit, harrowing, hoeing, investiture, investment, jacking-up, limation, linen, lint, listing, manure, muck, night soil, nitrate, nitrogen, organic fertilizer, phosphate, plaster, plaster cast, pledget, plowing, polishing, poultice, pruning, rags, raiment, raking-down, rasping, reaming, reaming-out, roasting, robes, roller, roller bandage, rubber bandage, rubbing away, sandblasting, sanding, scouring, scrape, scraping, scratch, scratching, scrub, scrubbing, scuff, setdown, shining, sling, smoothing, speaking-to, splint, sponge, sportswear, stuffing, stupe, style, superphosphate, talking-to, tampon, tape, tent, thinning, threads, tilling, togs, toilette, tourniquet, triangular bandage, trim, vestment, vesture, wear, wearing apparel, wearing away, weeding, what-for, working

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

dressing

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Dress \Dress\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dressedor Drest; p. pr. & vb. n. Dressing.]

[OF. drecier to make straight, raise, set up, prepare, arrange, F. dresser. (assumed) LL. directiare, fr. L. dirigere, directum, to direct; dis- + regere to rule. See Right, and cf. Address, Adroit, Direct, Dirge.]

1. To direct; to put right or straight; to regulate; to order. [Obs.]

At all times thou shalt bless God and pray Him to dress thy ways. --Chaucer.

Note: Dress is used reflexively in Old English, in sense of ``to direct one's step; to address one's self.''

To Grisild again will I me dresse. --Chaucer.

2. (Mil.) To arrange in exact continuity of line, as soldiers; commonly to adjust to a straight line and at proper distance; to align; as, to dress the ranks.

3. (Med.) To treat methodically with remedies, bandages, or curative appliances, as a sore, an ulcer, a wound, or a wounded or diseased part.

4. To adjust; to put in good order; to arrange; specifically:
   (a) To prepare for use; to fit for any use; to render suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready; as, to dress a slain animal; to dress meat; to dress leather or cloth; to dress or trim a lamp; to dress a garden; to dress a horse, by currying and rubbing; to dress grain, by cleansing it; in mining and metallurgy, to dress ores, by sorting and separating them.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Dressing \Dress"ing\, n.

1. Dress; raiment; especially, ornamental habiliment or attire. --B. Jonson.

2. (Surg.) An application (a remedy, bandage, etc.) to a sore or wound. --Wiseman.

3. Manure or compost over land. When it remains on the surface, it is called a top-dressing.

4. (Cookery)
   (a) A preparation to fit food for use; a condiment; as, a dressing for salad.
   (b) The stuffing of fowls, pigs, etc.; forcemeat.

5. Gum, starch, and the like, used in stiffening or finishing silk, linen, and other fabrics.

6. An ornamental finish, as a molding around doors, windows, or on a ceiling, etc.

7. Castigation; scolding; -- often with down. [Colloq.]

Dressing case, a case of toilet utensils.

Dressing forceps, a variety of forceps, shaped like a pair of scissors, used in dressing wounds.

Dressing gown, a light gown, such as is used by a person while dressing; a study gown.

Dressing room, an apartment appropriated for making one's toilet.

Dressing table, a table at which a person may dress, and on which articles for the toilet stand.

Top-dressing, manure or compost spread over land and not worked into the soil.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)