dressing
UK[ˈdrɛsɪŋ]US[ˈdrɛsɪŋ]
n
a sauce for salads, typically consisting of oil and vinegar with herbs or other flavorings.
n
a piece of material placed on a wound to protect it.
n
the activity of putting on clothes.
Morpheme Breakdown
dress
ing
dress
to arrange, to clothe
ing
noun suffix denoting action or result
Etymology
the word 'dressing' originates from the verb 'dress', which entered english via old french 'drecier', meaning to arrange, set right, or adorn. this old french term derives from the latin 'directus', the past participle of 'dirigere', meaning to set straight or guide. the core concept of arranging or preparing evolved into specific applications: preparing food (as in salad dressing), preparing a wound with a protective covering, and the act of preparing oneself by putting on clothes. the suffix '-ing' is a native english nominalizer, turning the action of the verb into a noun denoting either the process or the resultant material.
Analysis
Structure: dress (to arrange, to clothe) + ing (noun suffix denoting action or result)
dress (from old french 'drecier', ultimately from latin 'directus', meaning to make straight, arrange, or clothe); ing (from old english '-ing', '-ung', a suffix forming nouns from verbs, denoting action or its result).
Examples
she prefers a simple vinaigrette dressing on her salad.
the nurse applied a clean dressing to the patient's burn.
getting the children ready and their dressing for school takes a long time each morning.