sb. pl. Forms: 1 cláðas, 2–3 claþes, 3–4 cloþes, 3– clothes, 6–8 cloaths, (north. 3–6 clathes, -is). Also 5–6 (dial. –9) close, (5 cloysse, 6 cloese, 7–8 cloes; 5 north. clase, Sc. 6 clais, 8 clayis, 8–9 claise, CLAES; also 4–5 clethis, clese. [The original plural of CLOTH:—OE. clá-ðas, ME. clō-thes; the ō remaining in the (originally) open syllable, and the þ becoming ð between vowels, as in clothe vb., clothing, etc., and subsequently changing final s to z: cf. truth, truths, staff, staves, etc. As the singular cloth is not now used in the sense of ‘a garment,’ and has received a new plural cloths for its extant sense, clothes remains a collective plural, without a singular; to express the latter, a phrase, such as ‘article of clothing,’ or another word, such as ‘garment,’ is used.
The distinction cloths, clothes, is chiefly of the 19th c. The ordinary 18th-c. spelling was cloaths (pronounced with ð), as in cloath = CLOTHE vb.
Almost immediately after the reduction of the ME. dissyllabic form to one syllable, by change of -es to -s, the ð began to disappear in pronunciation in all the dialect types, as shown by the spellings close, cloes, etc. (from clothes), clase, clais(e, claes, etc. (from north. clathes), clese (from clethes). These forms are still dialectal. All these phenomena are paralleled in other Germanic dialects, e.g., MHG. kleit, pl. kleider, MDu. cleet, pl. clêde, EFris. klêd, pl. klêr (for klêder), WFris. klaed, pl. klean, NFris. klâid, pl. klûe, Saterland klâth, pl. klôder, Wangeroog klêt, pl. klôder.
Examples of the reduced plural:
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 774. Vppon clese.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., Jacob, 46. Mete and foode And close to body.
1516. Plumpton Corr., Introd. 124. To beare the charge of hir close.
1553. Inv. Ch. Goods, Staff., in Ann. Dioc. Lichf. (1863), 16. ij alter close.
1563. T. Gale, Antidot., II. 26. Warme cloese.
1673. Overseer’s Acc., in Canterb. Press, 27 June, 7/3. To Mr. frind for cloes for willan parker.
1729. Swift, Grand Question Debated, 138. Molly and I have thrust in our nose To peep at the Captain in all his fine clo’es.
a. 1845. Barham, Ingol. Leg., Sir Rupert, v. Cover’d ankles and toes, In other respects she was scanty of clothes.]
1. Covering for the person; wearing apparel; dress, raiment, vesture.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xvii. Wæpnu, and mete, and ealo, and claþas.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. xliv. 10 [xlv. 8]. Myrre, and gutta, and cassia dropiað of þinum claðum [Vesp. Ps. hreʓlum].
c. 1205. Lay., 2367. Muchel col, and claðes inowe.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 14. Of ower cloðes [v.r. claðes] & of swuche þinges ase ðer abuten ualleð.
1297. R. Glouc. (1724), 566. Cope & oþer cloþes.
a. 1300. Cursor M. (Gött), 15025. Sum þan kest þair clethes dune.
1388. Wyclif, Matt. xxii. 12. Freend, hou entridist thou hidir withut bride clothis?
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, F vj. She … arayed her with clothes of gold and flourynge of ryche ermynes.
1513. More, Rich. III. (1641), 192. Cloathes of gold.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 636. Thair lynning claithis.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., I. i. 229. Maister, ha’s my fellow Tranio stolne your cloathes?
1676. C. Hatton, in Hatton Corr. (1878), 128. All ye Guards in new cloths.
1736. Fielding, Pasquin, II. i. Provided I wear fine cloaths.
1747. Wesley, Prim. Physick (1762), Introd. p. xxi. The fewer Cloaths any one uses, by Day or Night, the hardier he will be.
1808. A. Parsons, Trav., iii. 51. Being Sunday, everybody had their holiday cloaths on.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., I. xi. The essence of all Science lies in the Philosophy of Clothes.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Wealth, Wks. (Bohn), II. 68. A coarse logic rules throughout all English souls:—if you have merit, can you not show it by your good clothes, and coach and horses?
fig. 1655. Earl Orrery, Parthen. (1676), 8. But not to dress a true story in cloaths of a Romance.
b. Often in comb. with a substantive or adj. indicating purpose, etc., as bed-, body-, church-, swaddling-clothes, etc. (See under these words.)
a. 800. Corpus Gloss., 623. Cunae, cild claðas.
1585. Vestry Bks. (Surtees), 20. Washinge the churche clothes, vd.
c. spec. Applied to linen and other clothing that is periodically washed. (See also combinations.)
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., X. x. (1495), 379. Asshes … helpyth to wasshynge of clothes.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., III. v. 100. To carry mee in the name of foule Cloathes to Datchet-lane.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 68. When there is but little moisture in the air the clothes dry quickly.
Mod. Sending the clothes to the wash. A laundress with a basket of clothes.
† d. To be in any one’s clothes: to be in his place or position, to be he. (Cf. in his coat, skin, shoes.)
1649. Bp. Hall, Cases Consc., 20. How we would wish to be dealt with if we were in his cloathes.
2. Short for SWADDLING-CLOTHES. (Cf. CLOUTS.)
c. 1340. Hampole, Prose Tr., 5. Laid in a crybe and lapped in clathis.
1382. Wyclif, Luke ii. 7. Sche childide her firste born sone, and wlappide him in clothis.
1541. Coverdale, Old Faith, Wks. 1844, I. x. 71. He [Christ] as a very man was wrapped in clothes, and laid in the crib.
1754–64. Smellie, Midwif., III. 453. The ignorant nurse had demanded a fire to warm the clothes or clouts.
3. Short for BED-CLOTHES.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8599 (Cott.). Þair clathes [Trin. beddyng] was sa gnede and fa.
1463. Bury Wills (Camd. Soc.), 23. The clothes of myn that longe to ye bedde that she hath loyen in.
1563. Richmond. Wills (1853), 167. Ye cloiths of ye geste bede.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., II. iii. 24. So a bad me lay more Clothes on his feet.
1718. Prior, Dove, xv. in Poems (1773), I. 92 (J.). She turn’d each way her frighted head, Then sunk it deep beneath the cloathes.
¶ For clothes, cloath(e)s = cloths, see CLOTH.
4. attrib. and Comb., as clothes-broker, -chest, -monger, -spoiling, -swimming, -thatch, etc.; clothes-bag, -basket, a receptacle for clothes, etc., esp. those for the wash; clothes-dummy, a lay figure used to exhibit clothing on; clothes-line, -rope, a cord or wire on which to hang out washed clothes to dry; clothes-louse, a species of louse that infests the clothes of the uncleanly, a body-louse; clothes-maiden (dial.) = clothes-horse; clothes-man, a dealer in clothes, esp. cast-off or second-hand clothes; clothes-peg, -pin, a forked wooden peg used to fasten linen on a clothes-line; clothes-post, -prop, a post, or prop for a clothes-line; clothes-screen, a clothes-horse; clothes-stick, -tongs, a stick or tongs used by washerwomen for turning or lifting linen while boiling; clothes-wringer, a machine for wringing or straining the water out of washed clothes. Also CLOTHES-BRUSH, -HORSE, -MOTH, -PRESS.
1879. ‘E. Garrett’ (Mrs. Mayo), House by Works, I. 78. The discarded collar and cuffs of yesterday were already in the *clothes-bag.
1828. J. W. Croker, in Croker Papers (1884), I. xiii. 404. Put into the dirty *clothes basket.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., III. vi. That happy middle-state, which leaves to the *clothes-broker no hope either of sale or of purchase.
1871. Smiles, Charac., x. (1876), 283. A *clothes-dummy at a tailor’s door.
1830. Marryat, King’s Own, xli. I see two poles for *clothes-lines.
1884. Manch. Exam., 21 Nov., 5/4. To … hang all the clothes, etc., on stands like large *clothes-maidens to be aired and fumigated.
a. 1845. Barham, Ingol. Leg., Merch. Ven. Moral, When they deal with old *clothesmen.
1868. E. Yates, Rock Ahead, III. vii. A Jew clothesman going his rounds.
1868. Sat. Rev., 24 Oct., 548/1. Pretexts invented by the art of the decorator and the *clothesmonger for making fortunes out of the folly of women.
1825. Hone, Every-day Bk., I. 701. He turned a sunbeam into a *clothes-peg.
1866. Harvard Mem. Biog., II. 21. Short sticks about as large as *clothes-pins.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., I. v. Clothes have made Men of us; they are threatening to make *Clothes-screens of us. Ibid. (1832), Remin., I. 16. The mere clothes-screens of rank.
1824. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1863), 159. The sopping, the drying, the *clothes-spoiling, the cold-catching, and all the small evils of a summer shower.
1881. Morning Post, 9 June, 7/4. We propose to keep a suit of clothes for those who would like to practise tumbling in the water … and *clothes swimming.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., I. viii. These considerations of our *Clothes-thatch.
