sartorial
adjective
Did you know?
Study the seams in the word sartorial and you’ll find the common adjective suffix -ial and sartor, a Medieval Latin noun meaning “tailor.” (Sartor comes ultimately from Latin sarcire, “to mend.”) Sartorial has bedecked the English language since the early decades of the 19th century as a word describing things relating to clothes and to tailors, while sartor, though never fully adopted into the language, has also seen occasional use as a synonym for tailor. A third word shares the same root: sartorius (plural sartorii) refers to the longest muscle in the human body. Crossing the front of the thigh obliquely, it assists in rotating the leg to the cross-legged position in which the knees are spread wide apart—and in which tailors have traditionally sat.
Examples of sartorial in a Sentence
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
Naomi Watts certainly knows a thing or two about paying sartorial homage.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
Opting for a leather or suede pair à la Courreges, Lemaire, and Ann Demeulemeester will earn you plenty of sartorial mileage.
—Shelby Ying Hyde, Refinery29, 4 Feb. 2026
Middleton’s sartorial choices often carry a significant sentimental meaning or message for occasion dressing, and her choice of coat was no different.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sartorial
Cite this Entry
“Sartorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sartorial. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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sartorial
adjective
