What does gowns mean?
Gowns is the plural of gown, a word with several related meanings. Most familiarly, it refers to long, elegant dresses worn by women at formal events such as balls, weddings, and award ceremonies. The term signals more ceremony and refinement than the everyday word dress, and it often suggests flowing fabric and a full-length skirt. The word also describes loose robes worn as a sign of office or status: university graduates and academics wear academic gowns, and judges and some clergy wear gowns in court or church. In medicine, gowns are the loose, protective garments worn by patients, or the sterile coverings worn by surgeons and other staff to prevent infection. Across these uses, the common thread is a long, loose outer garment. The word is neutral in the institutional senses and carries a note of glamour or formality when it refers to women's eveningwear. It also appears in the expression town and gown, which contrasts a university community with the surrounding townspeople.
nounLong, formal dresses worn by women on special occasions; also loose, flowing robes worn by members of certain professions or institutions, such as academics, judges, or hospital patients and staff.
- Formal dresses worn by women, especially for evening or ceremonial occasions.
- Loose protective garments worn by patients or medical staff in a hospital or operating theatre.
- Long robes worn by academics, judges, clergy, or students as a mark of office or rank.
"The guests arrived in floor-length evening gowns that shimmered beneath the chandeliers."
"She designed a collection of wedding gowns inspired by 1920s lace."
"Surgeons changed into sterile gowns before entering the operating theatre."
"The graduates processed across the quad in black gowns and mortarboards."
Regular plural formed by adding -s to gown. The collective phrase "town and gown" uses the singular form.
"The boutique stocked hundreds of gowns in every shade of ivory."
The same word that names a glittering red-carpet dress also names the humble hospital garment tied at the back.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gowns come from?
Gown comes into English from Old French goune, a long robe or coat, which is generally traced to Late Latin gunna, meaning a garment of leather or fur. It was in use in English by the Middle English period. The ultimate origin of the Latin word is uncertain.
Related word forms
How gowns is actually used
In the sense of a woman's dress, "gown" is more formal and elevated than "dress" and typically implies length and occasion. In institutional contexts it is neutral and functional. The phrase "town and gown" uses the word in the academic sense to contrast university members with local residents. The verb "gown" is rare and mostly literary.
Easily confused with gowns
"Gowns" is the plural of a type of dress or robe, while "gone" is the past participle of "go", meaning departed or no longer present.