formalwear en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English formal Proto-Indo-European *wes- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *woséyeti Proto-Germanic *wazjaną Proto-West Germanic *waʀjan Old English werian Middle English weren English wear English -wear English formalwear From formal + -wear.
Meanings
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(uncountable) Clothing suited to formal occasions
With their hair half up, and dressed demurely in black formalwear, they seemed like lost girls and conveyed little beyond a vague sense of urgency and dread; sure technicians all, they are not yet artists able to make their lashing limbs and inscrutable gestures mean something.
2007 April 10, Claudia La Rocco, “Austerity Meets Agitation While the Night City Glitters”, in New York Times:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| formal wear | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (3)
pl strój formalny (clothing suited to formal occasions) · la cēnātōria (clothing suited to formal occasions) · fi juhlavaatteet (clothing suited to formal occasions)