aangekleed

Aangekleed is a Dutch past participle used to indicate that someone or something has been dressed or adorned. It comes from the verb aankleden, meaning to dress or clothe someone, or to dress oneself. In ordinary use it appears in the perfect tense, often with hebben (ik heb me aangekleed, I have dressed myself) and in passive constructions with zijn (het kind is aangekleed door zijn moeder, the child has been dressed by his mother).

As an adjective, aangekleed can describe a person or object that is wearing clothing or has received attire. The related noun aankleding refers to attire, styling, or decor, and is common in contexts such as fashion, events, or interior design. For example, de aankleding van de zaal refers to the decor or styling of the hall; iemand kan als aangekleed beschreven worden to indicate how they are dressed.

Usage notes: Aangekleed is widely understood in modern Dutch and occurs in both spoken and written language. In fashion and event contexts, aankleding is the more typical word for outfit or decor, whereas aangekleed often serves as the participial form in sentences describing someone being dressed or something that has been dressed. A related expression for “dressed up” is uitgedost, which emphasizes a more elaborate or formal appearance.

Etymology: the word is formed from the prefix aan- plus kleden (to clothe) with standard participle formation, yielding the past participle aangekleed and the noun aankleding.