“Accoutrement” shares a French root with the fashionable word “couture.” The Old French verb “acoustre” meant “sewing,” and that translated into the English verb “accoutre,” meaning “clothe or equip in something noticeable or impressive.” Drawing from that tradition, perhaps the earliest set of accoutrements was a sewing kit, but today, accoutrements can be anything used for a particular activity, or accessories worn to designate a particular person or activity.