1. [n]  covering designed to be worn on a person's body
2. [v]  provide with clothes or put clothes on; "Parents must feed and dress their child"

1. \Ap*par"el\, n. [OE. apparel, apareil, OF. apareil,
   appareil, preparation, provision, furniture, OF. apareiller
   to match, prepare, F. appareiller; OF. a (L. ad) + pareil
   like, similar, fr. LL. pariculus, dim. of L. par equal. See
   {Pair}.]
   1. External clothing; vesture; garments; dress; garb;
      external habiliments or array.
   
            Fresh in his new apparel, proud and young. --Denham.
   
            At public devotion his resigned carriage made
            religion appear in the natural apparel of
            simplicity.                           --Tatler.
   
   2. A small ornamental piece of embroidery worn on albs and
      some other ecclesiastical vestments.
   
   3. (Naut.) The furniture of a ship, as masts, sails, rigging,
      anchors, guns, etc.
   
   Syn: Dress; clothing; vesture; garments; raiment; garb;
        costume; attire; habiliments.
   
   

2. \Ap*par"el\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Appareled}, or
   {Apparelled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Appareling}, or
   {Apparelling}.] [OF. apareiller.]
   1. To make or get (something) ready; to prepare. [Obs.]
      --Chaucer.
   
   2. To furnish with apparatus; to equip; to fit out.
   
            Ships . . . appareled to fight.       --Hayward.
   
   3. To dress or clothe; to attire.
   
            They which are gorgeously appareled, and live
            delicately, are in kings' courts.     --Luke vii.
                                                  25.
   
   4. To dress with external ornaments; to cover with something
      ornamental; to deck; to embellish; as, trees appareled
      with flowers, or a garden with verdure.
   
            Appareled in celestial light.         --Wordsworth.
   
   

In Old Testament times the distinction between male and female attire was not very marked. The statute forbidding men to wear female apparel (Deut. 22:5) referred especially to ornaments and head-dresses. Both men and women wore (1) an under garment or tunic, which was bound by a girdle. One who had only this tunic on was spoken of as "naked" (1 Sam. 19:24; Job 24:10; Isa. 20:2). Those in high stations sometimes wore two tunics, the outer being called the "upper garment" (1 Sam. 15:27; 18:4; 24:5; Job 1:20). (2.) They wore in common an over-garment ("mantle," Isa. 3:22; 1 Kings 19:13; 2 Kings 2:13), a loose and flowing robe. The folds of this upper garment could be formed into a lap (Ruth 3:15; Ps. 79:12; Prov. 17:23; Luke 6:38). Generals of armies usually wore scarlet robes (Judg. 8:26; Nah. 2:3). A form of conspicuous raiment is mentioned in Luke 20:46; comp. Matt. 23:5.

Priests alone wore trousers. Both men and women wore turbans. Kings and nobles usually had a store of costly garments for festive occasions (Isa. 3:22; Zech. 3:4) and for presents (Gen. 45:22; Esther 4:4; 6:8, 11; 1 Sam. 18:4; 2 Kings 5:5; 10:22). Prophets and ascetics wore coarse garments (Isa. 20:2; Zech. 13:4; Matt. 3:4).