Definition

1. Noun:

   • A long, elegant dress, typically worn by women on formal occasions such as weddings, balls, or galas.
   • A long, loose garment worn as official or ceremonial attire, such as by judges, academics, or clergy.
   • A protective garment, often long-sleeved, worn over clothes, especially by surgeons or laboratory workers.
   • (Metonymically) The collective body of members of a university, especially in the context of their relationship with the local community.

2. Verb:

   • To dress someone in a gown; to put on or wear a gown.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • She wore a stunning silk gown to the awards ceremony.
  • The judge put on his black gown before entering the courtroom.
  • The surgeon changed into a sterile gown before the operation.
  • The issue of parking highlighted the tensions between town and gown.

• Verb:

  • The graduates were gowned in traditional black robes for the commencement ceremony.

Advanced Usage

• "Town and gown": A phrase describing the relationship, often involving social or political tensions, between the permanent residents of a university town ("town") and the students and faculty of the university ("gown").
  • The new housing policy aims to improve town and gown relations.

Variants and Related Words

• Dressing gown (n): A loose robe worn over nightwear, typically before dressing or after bathing.
  • He came down for breakfast in his dressing gown.
• Nightgown (n): A loose dress worn by women or children for sleeping.
  • She bought a new cotton nightgown.
• Gowned (adj): Describing someone who is wearing a gown.
  • The gowned graduates processed into the hall.

Synonyms

• Noun: Robe, dress, frock, garment.
• Verb: Robe, attire, dress.

Related Phrases

• Cap and gown: The traditional academic regalia (mortarboard hat and robe) worn at graduation ceremonies.
  • The students looked proud in their cap and gown.

Noun

1. outerwear consisting of a long flowing garment used for official or ceremonial occasions
2. protective garment worn by surgeons during operations
3. lingerie consisting of a loose dress designed to be worn in bed by women
4. the members of a university as distinguished from the other residents of the town in which the university is located
   • the relations between town and gown are always sensitive
5. a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions

Verb

1. dress in a gown