men's furnishings
- noun
- Traditional men's furnishings like handkerchiefs have become less common in recent years.
Examples
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He opened his own shop specializing in quality men's furnishings on Main Street.
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The store has a wide selection of men's furnishings, including silk ties and cufflinks.
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The store specializes in men's furnishings.
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You can find a variety of men's furnishings here.
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The store specializes in men's furnishings like dress shirts, ties, and cufflinks.
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He bought new men's furnishings, including stylish socks and a matching belt.
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At the haberdasher, you can find a wide selection of men's furnishings for every occasion.
Synonyms
Clothes made for men, like shirts, suits, and trousers
Clothes for men to wear
Surface Forms
Morphology
men's + furnishings
Although 'men's' is transparent, the noun 'furnishings' is not readily interpreted by a B1 learner as clothing — it more commonly denotes household items or furniture. The specialized/archaic retail sense 'men's accessories/underclothing' is not predictable from the constituents, so the overall phrase would likely be unintelligible without prior exposure.
Etymology
Men's furnishings comes from the old use of furnishings to mean things that 'furnish' or 'supply' an outfit. Long ago, shopkeepers sold these small items like ties, socks, and handkerchiefs, so today men's furnishings means the small clothes and accessories a man wears.