What does clothe mean?
"Clothe" is a transitive verb meaning to supply someone with clothing or to dress them in garments. It can also be used more broadly or figuratively to mean covering something as though with fabric — poets speak of valleys clothed in mist or hills clothed in snow. In its most familiar use it appears in humanitarian and moral contexts, as in efforts to feed and clothe the poor, which gives the word an earnest, sometimes solemn connotation. It derives from Old English "clāþian," formed on the noun "clāþ" (cloth), whose Germanic root is shared with words such as German "Kleid," and traces ultimately to the same ancient Indo-European base that produced "clay." Though largely displaced in casual conversation by "dress," "clothe" remains standard in formal writing, charity appeals, and literary description, where its slightly elevated tone lends weight and dignity to the act of covering the body.
verbTo provide someone or something with clothes to wear; to cover or adorn a body or surface with garments or material.
- To provide a person or animal with clothing; to dress someone.
- To cover or envelop something as if with a garment (figurative or extended use).
"The charity works to feed and clothe families displaced by the flood."
"Volunteers gathered donations to clothe the children before winter arrived."
"Morning mist clothed the valley in a soft grey veil."
Before it meant anything about fabric, the ancestor of "clothe" grew from the very same ancient root as "clay" — humanity's earliest coverings quite literally came from the earth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clothe
"Clothe" descends from the Old English verb "clāþian," derived from the noun "clāþ," meaning cloth or garment. The underlying Proto-Germanic root *klaiþaz gives cognates in other Germanic languages, including German "Kleid" and Dutch "kleed." More remarkably, the Indo-European base behind this root is the same one that produced "clay," so the words for fabric and for earth share a single ancient origin. The verb has carried its core meaning of covering or dressing the body essentially unchanged for over a thousand years.
Related word forms
How clothe is actually used
Formal-to-neutral register, more common in written than casual spoken English; everyday speech favors "dress" or "wear." The figurative sense, where mist or darkness "clothes" a landscape, carries a literary flavor. The past tense may be pronounced either /kloʊðd/ or /kloʊt/.
Easily confused with clothe
Cloth is a noun meaning woven fabric, while clothe is a verb meaning to put clothes on someone.
Clothes is the noun referring to garments themselves, while clothe is the verb describing the act of dressing or providing them.