costume
n 1: the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball; "he won
the prize for best costume"
2: unusual or period attire not characteristic of or appropriate
to the time and place; "in spite of the heat he insisted on
his woolen costume"
3: the prevalent fashion of dress (including accessories and
hair style as well as garments)
4: the attire characteristic of a country or a time or a social
class; "he wore his national costume"
v 1: dress in a costume; "We dressed up for Halloween as
pumpkins" [syn: costume, dress up]
2: furnish with costumes; as for a film or play
costume I. nounEtymology: French, from Italian, custom, dress, from Latin
consuetudin-, consuetudo custom — more at customDate:
1799 1. the prevailing fashion in coiffure, jewelry, and apparel
of a period, country, or class 2. an outfit worn to create the
appearance characteristic of a particular period, person, place, or thing
<Halloween costumes> 3. a person's ensemble of
outer garments; especially a woman's ensemble of dress with coat
or jacket • costumeyadjectiveII. transitive verb (costumed; costuming)
Date: 1823 1. to provide with a costume 2. to design
costumes for <costume a play>
III. adjectiveDate: 1847 1. characterized by
the use of costumes <a costume ball> <a costume
drama> 2. suitable for or enhancing the effect of a particular
costume <a costume handbag>
costume n. & v. --n. 1 a style or fashion of dress, esp. that of a particular place, time, or class. 2 a set of clothes. 3 clothing for a particular activity (swimming-costume). 4 an
actor's clothes for a part. 5 a woman's matching jacket and skirt. --v.tr. provide with a costume. Phrases and idioms: costume jewellery artificial jewellery worn to adorn clothes.
costume play (or piece) a play in which the actors wear historical costume. Etymology: F f. It. f. L consuetudo CUSTOM
costume
(costumes)
1. An actor's or performer's costume is the set of clothes they wear while they are
performing.
Even from a distance the effect of his fox costume was stunning...The performers, in costume and make-up, were walking up and down backstage...In all, she has eight costume changes.N-VAR
2. The clothes worn by people at a particular time in history, or in a particular country,
are referred to as a particular type of costume.
...men and women in eighteenth-century costume...= dress
N-UNCOUNT: supp N
3. A costume play or drama is one which is set in the past and in which the actors wear
the type of clothes that were worn in that period.
...a lavish costume drama set in Ireland and the US in the 1890s.ADJ: ADJ n
costume
ˈkɔstju:m n. & v. --n. 1 a style or fashion of dress, esp. that
of a particular place, time, or class. 2 a set of clothes. 3 clothing for a
particular activity (swimming-costume). 4 an actor's clothes for a part. 5 a
woman's matching jacket and skirt. --v.tr. provide with a costume. øcostume
jewellery artificial jewellery worn to adorn clothes. costume play (or
piece) a play in which the actors wear historical costume. [F f. It. f. L
consuetudo CUSTOM]
Costume \Cos"tume`\ (k?s"t?m` or k?s-t?m"), n. [F. costume, It.
costume custom, dress, fr. L. consuetumen (not found), for
consuetudo custom. See Custom, and cf. Consuetude.]
1. Dress in general; esp., the distinctive style of dress of
a people, class, or period.
2. Such an arrangement of accessories, as in a picture,
statue, poem, or play, as is appropriate to the time,
place, or other circumstances represented or described.
I began last night to read Walter Scott's Lay of the
Last Minstrel . . . .I was extremely delighted with
the poetical beauty of some parts . . . .The
costume, too, is admirable. --Sir J.
Mackintosh.
3. A character dress, used at fancy balls or for dramatic
purposes.
costume
ˈkɔstju:m n. dress, clothing, attire, clothes, garb, apparel, raiment, garments,
outfit, vestment, livery, uniform, kit, Colloq gear, togs, get-up; Slang rags, US threads:
What kind of costume is Celia wearing to the fancy-dress ball?
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