Dressing

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdɹɛsɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -É›sɪŋ

Full definition of dressing

Noun

1. (medicine) Material applied to a wound for protection or therapy.
• 1913, w, Lord Stranleigh Abroad Chapter 5, She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.
2. A sauce, especially a cold one for salads.
3. Something added to the soil as a fertilizer etc.
4. The activity of getting dressed.
• 2004, Kathryn Banks, ‎Joseph Harris, Exposure: Revealing Bodies, Unveiling Representations (page 182)Considered thus, the performance is a translation into images of bodies on display, as is well demonstrated by Monsieur Jourdain's repeated dressings and undressings.
5. (obsolete) Dress; raiment; especially, ornamental habiliment or attire.
6. The stuffing of fowls, pigs, etc.; forcemeat.
7. Gum, starch, etc., used in stiffening or finishing silk, linen, and other fabrics.
8. An ornamental finish, such as a moulding around doors, windows, or on a ceiling.
9. (dated) Castigation; scolding; dressing down.

Derived terms

• dressing gown
• dressing stick

Verb

1. Present participle of dress