vêtues

Vêtues is the feminine plural form of the French past participle and adjective vêtu, derived from the verb vêtir, meaning “to clothe” or “to dress.” As a participle it appears in compound verb forms and pronominal constructions (for example, elles se sont vêtues), and as an adjective it describes subjects that are wearing clothing (les personnes vêtues).

Etymology traces vêtir to Latin vestire, related to vestis, “garment,” and to other Romance-language equivalents (Italian vestire, Spanish vestir). The circumflex in vêtu reflects historical loss of an s (cf. Old French vestu).

In grammar, agreement is important: when used with être in pronominal or passive constructions, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject (elle s’est vêtue, elles se sont vêtues). As an adjective, vêtue(s) follows normal adjectival agreement rules and can be modified by adverbs (vêtues élégamment).

Usage notes distinguish vêtir/vêtu from habiller/habillé: vêtir often has a slightly more formal or literary tone and emphasizes being clothed rather than the act of dressing performed by someone else. Common collocations include vétues de (dressed in), complètement vêtues, and partiellement vêtues. The pronunciation of vêtues is [vɛ.ty] in standard French, identical in sound to the singular feminine form except for plural agreement in writing.