Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - dress

 I. verb  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French drescer, ~er to direct, put right, Vulgar Latin *directiare, from Latin directus direct, past participle of dirigere to direct, from dis- + regere to lead straight — more at right  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to make or set straight  b. to arrange (as troops) in a straight line and at proper intervals  2. to prepare for use or service; specifically to prepare for cooking or for the table ~ a salad  3. to add decorative details or accessories to ; embellish  4.  a. to put clothes on ~ a child  b. to provide with clothing feed and ~ a growing family  5. archaic ~ down  6.  a. to apply ~ings or medicaments to ~ a wound  b.  (1) to arrange (as the hair) by combing, brushing, or curling  (2) to groom and curry (an animal)  c. to kill and prepare for market or for consumption — often used with out  d. cultivate, tend; especially to apply manure or fertilizer to ~ a field  e. to put through a finishing process; especially to trim and smooth the surface of (as lumber or stone)  intransitive verb  1.  a. to put on clothing  b. to put on or wear formal, elaborate, or fancy clothes ~ for dinner  2. of a food animal to weigh after being ~ed — often used with out  3. to align oneself with the next soldier in a line to make the line straight  II. noun  Date: 1606  1. apparel, clothing  2. an outer garment (as for a woman or girl) usually consisting of a one-piece bodice and skirt  3. covering, adornment, or appearance appropriate or peculiar to a particular time  4. a particular form of presentation ; guise  III. adjective  Date: 1767  1. suitable for a formal occasion ~ clothes ~ shoes  2. requiring or permitting formal ~ a ~ affair  3. relating to or used for a ~ ~ material