toggery

Toggery is a noun meaning clothing or garments, especially as a collective term for a person’s attire or ensemble. It can also refer to equipment or gear worn for a particular activity. The word is somewhat archaic or formal in modern usage and is more likely to appear in historical writing, literature, or stylistic contexts than in everyday speech.

Etymology traces toggery to the noun tog, meaning clothes or gear, with the suffix -ery forming a collective noun. The precise origins are obscure, but the sense of clothing has long been present in English. In historical and literary contexts, toggery appears in phrases such as the soldier’s toggery or one’s weekend toggery, reflecting a conventional emphasis on appearance and dress. In contemporary English, toggery is often used humorously or poetically to evoke old-fashioned dress or a sense of uniformed or ceremonial attire.

Related terms include togs (informal clothing), attire, apparel, garb, dress, and wardrobe. In some usages, toggery may be contrasted with equipment or kit in sport or military contexts, where the term can denote the specific gear rather than the overall dress. See also clothing, fashion, costume. Toggery thus occupies a niche in English as a formal or nostalgic reference to the clothing one wears, rather than a practical descriptor for daily outfits.