gown
pronunciation
How to pronounce gown in British English:
UK [ɡaʊn]
How to pronounce gown in American English:
US [ɡaʊn]
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- Noun:
- long, usually formal, woman's dress
- protective garment worn by surgeons during operations
- outerwear consisting of a long flowing garment used for official or ceremonial occasions
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- Verb:
- dress in a gown
Word Origin
- gown (n.)
- long, loose outer garment, c. 1300, from Old French goune "robe, coat; (nun's) habit, gown," related to Late Latin gunna "leather garment, skin, hide," of unknown origin. Used by St. Boniface (8c.) for a fur garment permitted for old or infirm monks. Klein writes that it is probably "a word adopted from a language of the Apennine or the Balkan Peninsula." OED points to Byzantine Greek gouna, a word for a coarse garment sometimes made of skins, but also notes "some scholars regard it as of Celtic origin." In 18c., gown was the common word for what now usually is styled a dress. It was maintained more in the U.S. than in Britain, but was somewhat revived 20c. in fashion senses and in combinations (such as bridal gown, nightgown). Meaning "flowing robe worn on official occasions as a badge of office or authority" is from late 14c. As collective singular for "residents of a university" (1650s) it typically is used in rhyming opposition to town.
Example
- 1. She spread the white satin gown on the art-room floor .
- 2. The priest fumbled in the folds of his gown .
- 3. However for a ball gown the cut is made along more classic lines .
- 4. The lectern , silver pencil , silk gown and expensive tailored suit were all signs of a status that sarah both coveted and feared .
- 5. This rich chocolate brown of this gucci premiere gown is an underused color .