apparel

The word 'apparel' entered English in the 13th century from the Old French 'apareillier', which meant 'to prepare, make ready, or equip'. This French term itself derived from the Vulgar Latin 'appariculare', a frequentative form based on the Latin 'ad-' (to) and 'parare' (to make ready, prepare). The semantic evolution is clear: from the general sense of preparing or equipping, the meaning narrowed specifically to the preparation of oneself by putting on clothes, and then to the clothing items themselves. This journey from a broad preparatory action to its most common material result illustrates a classic path of semantic specialization.

Structure: ap + parel - ap (Latin origin, variant of 'ad-', meaning 'to, towards') - parel (Old French origin, from 'apareillier', meaning 'to prepare, make ready')