Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dressmaking” come from?

Dressmaking derives from the English gerund suffix -ing added to the verb make, which comes from Old English -ing, ultimately tracing to Latin regō meaning to direct or guide.

dressmaking (English): The craft of making custom clothing for women,...

Definitions

  1. The craft of making custom clothing for women,...

Ancestry of “dressmaking”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmakingThe act of forming, causing, or constituting;...
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūn—
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “dressmaking”

  • dressmake
  • ドレスメーキング
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →