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ap·par·el

(ə-părəl)

1. Clothing, especially outer garments; attire.

2. A covering or adornment: trees with their apparel of foliage.

tr.v. ap·par·eled, ap·par·el·ing, ap·par·els or ap·par·elled or ap·par·el·ling

1. To clothe or dress.

2. To adorn or embellish.

[Middle English appareil, from Old French apareil, preparation, from apareillier, to prepare, possibly from Vulgar Latin *appariculāre, from Latin apparāre; see APPARATUS.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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