Tailor

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈteɪlɚ/

Definitions

1. An expert who constructs or adjusts clothing to ensure proper fit and design
2. A craftsman specializing in the alteration and creation of apparel to meet specific measurements and preferences
3. A person skilled in making, repairing, and fitting garments to suit individual body shapes

Etymology: The word "tailor" began as a plain description of cutting. Its ancestor is Latin "tālea," meaning a cutting or a slip, such as a twig or a piece of wood cut for planting. Late Latin turned this into "tāliō," a cutter, and Old French built "taillier," to cut, from which came "tailleor," one who cuts. Anglo-Norman carried the word across the Channel as "taillour," and Middle English adopted it as "taillour," so the English word's core job has always been the act of cutting. What makes the story notable is that a tailor's defining skill was originally the cutting, not the sewing. The person who shaped the cloth into garments was the one who shaped the pattern, and the name followed that task. Other languages reached for the same idea independently: German "Schneider" is related to the English "snithe," meaning to cut, and Polish "krawiec" and Macedonian "кројач" come from a Slavic verb for cutting out cloth.

Synonyms: seamstress, cutter, designer, dressmaker, modiste

Antonyms: destroyer, dismantler, unmaker, disassembler, remover