gown

The word “gown” means a long, flowing dress, especially one worn for a formal occasion. In plain terms, a long formal dress, or a loose robe worn as professional or ceremonial dress.

“Gown” is pronounced GOWN (/ˈɡaʊ̯n/ in IPA).

Here is “gown” used in a sentence: “She wore a floor-length silver gown to the awards ceremony.”

“Gown” is a noun.

The word “gown” comes from Late Latin. From Old French goune, ultimately from Late Latin gunna, a word for a fur or leather garment.

“Gown” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Gown” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a long, flowing dress, especially one worn for a formal occasion.

A gown is a long, flowing dress, especially one worn for a formal occasion, while a dress is the general term covering any one-piece garment for women, from casual to formal. All gowns are dresses in the broad sense, but not all dresses are formal enough to be called gowns.

Both use the second sense of gown, a loose robe worn by certain professionals or in certain settings, but they serve very different purposes. An academic gown is worn by graduates, judges, or scholars as a mark of status or profession, while a hospital gown is a simple, practical garment worn by patients.

Gown and robe overlap significantly, especially for professional dress such as judges' or academics' attire, and are often used interchangeably in that context. "Gown" is more specifically associated with formal evening wear and wedding attire, while "robe" is more common for everyday loose garments like bathrobes.