What does "dressing" mean?
Dressing: (Surg.) An application (a remedy, bandage, etc.) to a sore or wound. Wiseman.
Additional senses
- 2.Manure or compost over land. When it remains on the surface, it is called a top-dressing.
- 3.(Cookery) (a) A preparation to fit food for use; a condiment; as, a dressing for salad. (b) The stuffing of fowls, pigs, etc.; forcemeat.
- 4.Gum, starch, and the like, used in stiffening or finishing silk, linen, and other fabrics.
- 5.An ornamental finish, as a molding around doors, windows, or on a ceiling, etc.
- 6.Castigation; scolding; -- often with down. [Colloq.] Dressing case, a case of toilet utensils. -- Dressing forceps, a variety of forceps, shaped like a pair of scissors, used in dressing wounds. -- Dressing gown, a light gown, such as is used by a person while dressing; a study gown. -- Dressing room, an apartment appropriated for making one's toilet. -- Dressing table, a table at which a person may dress, and on which articles for the toilet stand. -- Top-dressing, manure or compost spread over land and not worked into the soil.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00