▪ I. apparel, v. arch.
(əˈpærəl)
Forms: 3–5 aparaile, 4–6 -ayle, 5 ap- or app-areil(e, -eyl(le, -aill(e, -yl, appairelle, 5–6 aparal(l, apparayl(e, -ayll(e, 5–7 -ail(e, -al(l, -ell, 6 aperayle, appareyll, -ayrayl, 6–7 -aral, -arrell, aparel(l, 5– apparel. Aphet. 4 parail, -ayl. Also 5 enparel. In inflexions -l is at present usually doubled before a vowel in G. Brit., left single in U.S.
[a. OFr. apareille-r, aparaille-r (mod.Fr. appareiller), cogn. with Pr. aparelhar, Pg. apparelhar, Sp. aparejar, It. apparecchiare:—Romanic *adpariculāre to make equal or fit, f. ad to + *paricul-um (It. parecchio, Sp. parejo, Pr. parelh, Fr. pareil), dim. of L. par equal. The 15th c. spellings were almost endless, the typical being apaˈrail, passing with retracted accent to aˈparel. For app-, see ap- prefix1.]
Usually trans. or refl.
† 1. trans. To make ready, or prepare (for a purpose); to fit out, get ready, put into proper order.
| c 1250 Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 26 Hi hedden aparailed here offrendes. c 1386 Chaucer Melib. ¶375 Ye oughte purveyen yow and apparaile [v.r. -aillen, -ayle, -el] yow in this caas with greet diligence. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour cii. 134 To aparaille mete and drinke for hym. 1541 R. Copland Guydon's Quest. Cyrurg., The hert hath two eares..to let the ayre in and out that is appareylled for it fro y⊇ lunges. 1631 Markham Way to Wealth iii. ii. iv. (1668) 115 Aparel it [the wine] thus: take the whites only of ten Eggs, etc. |
† b. intr. (for refl.). Obs. rare.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ix. 8 In the meane tyme the quene aparailed for her needis and besynesse. |
† 2. To make preparations for (an event, work). Obs.
| c 1314 Guy Warw. 22 Therl dede anon aparaile Gyes dobing. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 2473 There he wolde hire weddynge aparayle [v.r. apparaylle, -eylle, -aille]. 1534 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) O iiij b, The Romaynes shulde apparell his triumphe..right glorious and rychly. |
3. To furnish, or fit up with things necessary (a room, a ship, etc.). Also fig. arch.
| 1366 Mandeville xx. 217 Alle thinges, that men apparayle with ony Halle. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxliii. 290 Ryal shippes that were ful wel arayd and enparelled and enarmed. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W.) ii. xvii, Martha was desyrous to lodge our lorde and his appostles, and to aparayle them. 1590 Swinburn Testaments 154 The cause wherewith the prohibition is saide to bee apparelled. 1605 Camden Rem. 46 The which Chappell..his executors did fully make, and apparail. a 1670 Hacket in Wallcot Life App. (1865) 159 Honest communication apparelleth the mind with good thoughts. 1863 Longfellow Wayside Inn, Mus. T. xiv. 9 Never..owned a ship so well apparelled. |
† 4. To prepare, equip, or accoutre for fighting.
| c 1325 Cœur de L. 4333 Ser Fouke gan hym apparayle With hys folk the toun to assayle. 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 132 The Kingis men..thame apparalit Till defend, gif thai thame assalit. 1634 Malory's Arthur (1816) II. 18 They apparalled them to joust Sir Gawaine. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. iv. 107 Apparelled..with his Bow and Quiver of Arrows. a 1672 Wood Life (1848) 85, I have apareled my solldiors..upon my creditt to the Marchant. |
5. To array with proper clothing; to attire, dress. (Now the ordinary sense, but somewhat arch., and hardly in spoken use.)
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 186 Apparayleden him as a prentis. 1393 ― C. iii. 224 And parailed hym lyke here prentys. 1494 Fabyan vii. ccxxxiii. 267 The Empresse..apparaylyd hyr & hir company in whyte clothynge. 1538 Starkey England 130 Be not appayraylyd in sylkys and veluettys. 1610 Healey St. Aug. City of David 833 Apparelling him with sot-like habites. 1611 Bible Luke vii. 25 They which are gorgeously apparelled. 1774 J. Bryant Mythol. II. 124 All the vestments..in which they used to apparel their Deities. 1838 Southey Charlemain xii, All apparell'd in costly array, Exulting they come to the palace of Aix. |
† b. To invest (with an official robe). Obs. rare.
| 1576 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 73 To apparell Canterbury with the Archbishop of Londons Palle. |
6. In many fig. senses: cf. to clothe. arch.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. i. ii. 8 Þe fyrste somer sesoun þat..apparaileþ þe erþe wiþ rosene floures. 1481 Caxton Myrr. iii. viii. 147 [The sonne] apparaylleth the trees with leues. 1558 Bp. Watson 7 Sacram. ii. 11 To be appareled and cladde with Christe and his rightwisnes. 1608 Tourneur Reveng. Trag. i. i, When thou wert appareld in thy flesh. 1635 A. Stafford Fem. Glory (1869) 44 She apparrell'd them [her thoughts] in a cleare, smooth calme of language. 1806 Wordsw. Ode on Intim. Immort. 4 When meadow, grove, and stream, To me did seem Apparelled in celestial light. |
† 7. To deck, adorn, embellish. Obs. exc. as 6.
| 1366 Mandeville xiv. 153 Clothes..apparayled with greet Perles. 1388 Wyclif Luke xxi. 5 The temple..was apparailid [1382 ourned, Tindale garnissed, 1611 adorned] with gode stoonus. 1565 J. Calfhill Answ. Treat. Crosse (1846) 122 Ye apparel it with a few pearls of Scripture. 1741 T. Robinson Gavelkind ii. 29 To be apparelled with the Title of Gentry. |
† 8. fig. To dress up (speciously), to trick out. Obs.
| 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iii. ii. 12 Looke sweet, speake faire..Apparell vice like vertues harbenger. 1615 T. Adams Spir. Navig. 55 They apparrell bloud-red murther..in the white robes of religion. 1636 B. Jonson Discov. (1692) 696 To apparel a Lye well, to give it a good dressing. |
▪ II. apparel, n.
(əˈpærəl)
Forms: 3–5 aparail, 4–5 ap- or app-araill(e, -ayll(e, 4–6 -ail(e, -ayl(e, -ale, -ell, 5 apareylle, -elle, appayraille, 5 apparall, 6 apperell, 5– apparel. Aphet. 5 pareylle, 6 -el, 7 parrell.
[a. OFr. aparail, apareil (mod.Fr. appareil), f. vb. apareiller: see apparel v.]
† 1. abstr. The work of fitly preparing for anything, preparation, array. Obs.
| c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems 40 Soone was dihte, Al that wedlok askethe..Al was redy to plesaunt apparailes. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 246/4 That yere was halowed..with right grete appareylle of games. 1485 ― Paris & V. 14 The grete apparaylle of thys feste. |
† 2. concr. Things provided for any purpose, and employed in its performance; material, requisites, apparatus. Obs.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 121 Þe Londreis herd it telle, & ȝared þam fulle welle, With gode aparaile of alle þat þei mot gete. c 1430 Lydg. Bochas vii. ix (1554) 174 Rosted her chyld whan vitayle dyd fayle; She had of store, none other apparayle. 1477 Caxton Dictes 147 Socrates sayde That women ben thapparaylles to cacche men. 1631 Markham Way to Wealth iii. ii. iv. (1668) 115 Give it [the wine] aparel..the Aparel is this: Take the yelks of ten Eggs, etc. 1725 tr. Dupin's Eccl. Hist. 17th C. I. v. 63 The Apparel of the Mass..the Habits, the Vessels, and other Ornaments..made use of in the Celebration of it. |
† 3. The furniture and appendages of a house, fortress, gun, etc. Obs.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xi. 118 Apparall of chalmyr and hall. Ibid. xvii. 293 Schot and othir apparale. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 448 Þis chapelle..w{supt} alle þe pareylle þ{supt} longede þerto. 1503 Act 19 Hen. VII, iv. §3 To forfett the same Crosebowe with all the apparell therto belongyng. 1535 Coverdale 1 Kings vii. 48 All the apperell [Wyclif & 1611 vessels] that belonged vnto the house of the Lorde. |
4. The outfit or rigging of a ship. arch.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 154 Fiue oþer galeis with alle þer apparaile. 1575–6 Act 18 Eliz. ix. §2 The said Shippes or Vessells with all theyr Apparell and Furnyture. 1709 Lond. Gaz. mmmmdlxxix/4 The Ship Margaret..her Tackle, Apparel and Furniture. 1819 Wordsw. Waggoner ii. 161 Back to her place the ship he led; Wheeled her back in full apparel. 1882 Charter-party, What she [the vessel] can reasonably stow..over and above her Tackle, Apparel, Provisions, and Furniture. |
5. Personal outfit or attire ( † a. military; b. ordinary); clothing generally, raiment, dress. arch.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 54 Fourscore armed Knyghtes, in suilk apparaille dight, Þat so riche armes was neuer sene with sight. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ix. 111 Was no pride on his apparail ne pouert noþer. c 1400 Rom. Rose 575 Semyde by hir apparayle She was not wont to gret travayle. c 1532 Ld. Berners Huon 609 One of her apareyles to put on hir. a 1547 Surrey Aeneid iv. 337 A shining parel..of Tirian purple. 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. iii. 72 Costly thy habit..rich, not gawdie: For the Apparell oft proclaimes the man. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 302 ¶12 Neglect of Apparel, even among the most intimate Friends, does insensibly lessen their Regards to each other. 1823 Lamb Elia ii. xix. (1865) 368, I am ill at describing female apparel. 1883 Newsp. Advt., Piece Goods, Apparel, etc. for Sale by Auction. |
c. fig. ‘Attire.’ arch.
| 1610 E. Bolton in Shaks. C. Praise 91 Style (the apparell of matter). 1683 tr. Erasm. Moriæ Enc. 2 Nature forthwith changes her apparrel. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 74 ¶2 The rude Stile and evil Apparel of this antiquated Song. 1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. iii. ix, The Thirty-Nine Articles themselves are articles of wearing-apparel (for the Religious Idea). 1881 N. T. (Revised) 1 Pet. iii. 4 The incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit. |
† d. as hunting term (see quot.). Obs.
| 1575 Turberv. Venerie 128 At his sides..a thinne kinde of redde fleshe which hunters call the apparel of an hart. |
† 6. Appearance, aspect. Obs.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 278 As in apparaille and in porte proud amonges þe peple. 1481 Caxton Myrr. iii. iv. 130 How moche the ferther she [the mone] is fro the sonne so moche the more we see of her apparayl. 1526 Tindale Phil. ii. 8 Was found in his aparell [Wyclif abite, 1611 fashion] as a man. |
† 7. Ornament, decoration, embellishment. Obs.
| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 601 Þe apparayl of þe payttrure..acorded with þe arsounez. c 1350 Will. Palerne 3224 Þat was perles a-parrayl. c 1400 Rowland & Otuel 413 Ane helme of riche entayle, Of precyouse stanes the appayrayle. |
b. esp. Ornamental embroidery on certain ecclesiastical vestments. revived.
| 1485 Churchw. Acc. St. Mary Hill (1797) 112 To Thomas Pate browderer—for his workmanship upon it and the appareyle belonging thereto—10d. 1844 Pugin Gloss. Eccl. Orn. 5 The Albe..should be made..with apparells..worked in silk and gold, embroidered with ornaments. 1849 Rock Ch. of Fathers I. v. 438 Apparels were..stitched on to the upper part of the amice, like a collar to it. |