I. ˈsüt, usu -üd.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English siute, sute, suite act of following, pursuit, petition, retinue, attendance, sequence, set of things, especially of clothes, from Old French sieute, siute act of following, pursuit, retinue, attendance, from feminine of (assumed) Old French sieut (past participle of Old French suir to follow), from (assumed) Vulgar Latin sequitus, past participle of (assumed) Vulgar Latin sequere to follow — more at sue
1. archaic
a. : an act of following (as game or a quest) : pursuit
b. : suite 1
in his suit was … a young gentleman — Meriwether Lewis
2.
a. : attendance (as at a royal court or a manor) owed according to feudal law by a vassal to his king or lord
suit to some form of court was incumbent upon all landholders — F.M.Stenton
b. : the required resort of a tenant to a particular mill for his grinding — compare sucken
3.
a. : recourse or appeal to a feudal superior for justice or redress of grievances
made suit to the king in council
b. : the attempt to gain an end by legal process : prosecution of right before any tribunal : litigation
an added reason for early institution of suit — Joseph Schneider
c. : an action or process in a court for the recovery of a right or claim : a legal application to a court for justice
a civil suit
a criminal suit
a suit in chancery
no suit … having been instituted to recover the debt — Detroit Law Journal
4. : an act or instance of suing or seeking by plea or entreaty : petition , appeal
his suit to the Muse — Nation
specifically : solicitation in marriage : courtship , wooing
mocks all her wooers out of suit — Shakespeare
had her father's consent to his suit
5.
a. : suite 2 — used chiefly of armor, sails, clothes, and cards and counters in games
a suit of medieval armor
suits of sails for … racing yachts — American Guide Series: New York City
b. of hair : head 3a, growth
a beauty with big quick eyes and a heavy suit of hair — Elizabeth M. Roberts
6. : a set of garments : outfit , costume : as
a. obsolete : livery ; especially : that of the members of a retinue
b. archaic : habit ; especially : one worn by a religious
c. : uniform
d. : an outer costume of two or more parts that harmonize or match in material and color (as a jacket, vest, and trousers for men or a jacket and skirt for women)
e. : bathing suit
f. : a set of underwear
g. : a costume designed to be worn for a special purpose or under particular conditions
gym suit
space suit
7.
a.
(1) : all the cards in a pack of playing cards bearing the same spot or symbol (as spades or hearts) — called also color
(2) : all the bones in dominoes bearing the same number
the suit of sixes
(3) : all the counters in a game (as tiles in mah-jongg) having the same name or symbol
b. : all the cards or counters given a special function by the rules of a game though not necessarily similarly marked
a trump suit
c. : the cards or counters held by a player in a particular suit
a 5-card suit
d. : the suit led or last played
follow suit
8. : agreement , harmony
manual strength … in suit with the ferocity of his manners — Agnes Bennett
Synonyms: see prayer
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : to make a plea : petition , sue
2. : to be in accordance : agree , square — usually used with with
the position suits with his abilities
steady principles … which will suit with common practice and experience — David Hume †1776
3. : to be appropriate, acceptable, or satisfactory
a restaurant … that would suit — F.W.Crofts
she'll suit , and we'll make her feel at home — Rex Ingamells
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to arrange (as materials) in a set or order : assort
2. obsolete
a. : to appeal for : beg
if we had merit to deserve it, we needed not suit it of God — William Struther
b. : to ask the hand of in marriage : court , woo
3. : to outfit with clothes : dress
did suit me all points like a man — Shakespeare
suited in black
4. : to make agree or harmonize with something : accommodate , adjust , fit , adapt — usually used with to
suit the action to the word
you must suit your frock to his flowers — Oscar Wilde
suit their game to their opponents — Robert Collis
5.
a. : to be proper or right for or appropriate to : accord with : befit
the right word … is the one that suits the time and the occasion — E.S.McCartney
a long handle that did not suit my grip — O.S.J.Gogarty
b. : to be becoming to : match
a lipstick that suited her coloring
the Bible name suits you — Katharine N. Burt
6.
a. : to answer the needs, desires, or requirements of : please
suits me fine
an arrangement that suited him perfectly
something to suit every palate — Peter Forster
the weather exactly suits us — Martha Kean
b. : to provide or furnish (as a customer) with something (as merchandise) that proves satisfactory : satisfy
aim to suit all our patrons
III. noun
slang : a business executive — usually used in plural
meetings with network suits