What does accoutering mean?
Accoutering refers to the act of equipping or outfitting someone — most classically a soldier — with the clothing, armor, and gear appropriate to their role. It functions chiefly as the present participle of the verb "accouter" (spelled "accoutre" in British English), so one speaks of officers accoutering recruits or tailors accoutering a regiment for parade. Less commonly, an accoutering can be the outfit itself: the complete set of garments and equipment worn by, say, an eighteenth-century dragoon. The word carries a formal, slightly old-fashioned register and appears most often in military history, historical fiction, and descriptive writing about ceremonial dress. Its close relative "accoutrements" — the items themselves rather than the act — remains far more familiar to modern readers. For anyone writing about how armies or institutions clothe and equip their members, accoutering offers a precise and evocative term that plainer synonyms like "equipping" cannot quite match in flavor.
Present participle of accouter: to provide someone, especially a soldier, with clothing and equipment.
"The armory staff were busy accoutering the militia before dawn."
Spelled "accoutering" in American English and "accoutring" or "accoutring" in British English.
A set of clothing and equipment worn by someone; an outfit (now rare).
"The knight's accoutering gleamed in the tournament light."
This nominal sense has largely been replaced by "accoutrements."
Rarely used in the plural; the plural typically refers to multiple sets of equipment belonging to different people.
"The quartermaster catalogued the accouterings of the entire garrison."
Before a soldier could fight, someone had to do the accoutering — this word captures the age-old ritual of turning civilians into fighting men.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accoutering
Accoutering derives from the French verb accoutrer, meaning to dress or outfit, which entered English in the sixteenth century. The further origin of the French word is uncertain, though it has been linked to words for sewing such as couture. The English verb took the forms accoutre (from French) and accouter (an anglicized variant), with accoutering as its participial form and accoutrements as its best-known derivative.
Related word forms
How accoutering is actually used
Most often encountered as the present participle of "accouter" (US spelling) or "accoutre" (British spelling), a somewhat formal or literary verb strongly associated with military contexts. The noun sense of "accoutering" as an outfit itself has largely been superseded by "accoutrements."
Easily confused with accoutering
Accounting is the recording and reporting of financial transactions, while accoutering means equipping or outfitting someone with clothing and gear.