Accoutre

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To supply or outfit an individual with essential clothing and gear for specific roles or activities
2. To provide someone with necessary equipment and apparel tailored for particular functions and purposes
3. To furnish a person with clothing and gear needed for particular duties or tasks

Etymology: The verb "accoutre" is a fine example of a word that once meant something quite physical: the Latin root behind it is "consuere," to sew together. Its distant ancestor was a sewing term, and the clothing sense came first. Latin "consutura" meant sewing or a seam, and a Vulgar Latin verb built from it, "acconsuturare," meant to equip someone with clothes. The idea of stitching garments onto a person gradually widened into kitting them out with whatever gear a job required. The word passed through Old French "acoustrer" and then Middle French "accoutrer" before reaching English. English adopted it in the 1590s, a period when Shakespeare's contemporaries were drawing heavily on French for military and courtly vocabulary.

Synonyms: equip, furnish