From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Vest \Vest\ (v[e^]st), n. [L. vestis a garment, vesture; akin to
Goth. wasti, and E. wear: cf. F. veste. See Wear to carry
on the person, and cf. Divest, Invest, Travesty.]
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1. An article of clothing covering the person; an outer
garment; a vestment; a dress; a vesture; a robe.
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In state attended by her maiden train,
Who bore the vests that holy rites require.
--Dryden.
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2. Any outer covering; array; garb.
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Not seldom clothed in radiant vest
Deceitfully goes forth the morn. --Wordsworth.
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3. Specifically, a waistcoat, or sleeveless body garment, for
men, worn under the coat.
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Syn: Garment; vesture; dress; robe; vestment; waistcoat.
Usage: Vest, Waistcoat. In England, the original word
waistcoat is generally used for the body garment worn
over the shirt and immediately under the coat. In the
United States this garment is commonly called a vest,
and the waistcoat is often improperly given to an
under-garment.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Vest \Vest\ (v[e^]st), v. i.
To come or descend; to be fixed; to take effect, as a title
or right; -- followed by in; as, upon the death of the
ancestor, the estate, or the right to the estate, vests in
the heir at law.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Vest \Vest\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vested; p. pr. & vb. n.
Vesting.] [Cf. L. vestire, vestitum, OF. vestir, F.
v[^e]tir. See Vest, n.]
1. To clothe with, or as with, a vestment, or garment; to
dress; to robe; to cover, surround, or encompass closely.
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Came vested all in white, pure as her mind.
--Milton.
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With ether vested, and a purple sky. --Dryden.
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2. To clothe with authority, power, or the like; to put in
possession; to invest; to furnish; to endow; -- followed
by with before the thing conferred; as, to vest a court
with power to try cases of life and death.
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Had I been vested with the monarch's power. --Prior.
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3. To place or give into the possession or discretion of some
person or authority; to commit to another; -- with in
before the possessor; as, the power of life and death is
vested in the king, or in the courts.
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Empire and dominion was [were] vested in him.
--Locke.
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4. To invest; to put; as, to vest money in goods, land, or
houses. [R.]
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5. (Law) To clothe with possession; as, to vest a person with
an estate; also, to give a person an immediate fixed right
of present or future enjoyment of; as, an estate is vested
in possession. --Bouvier.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
vest
n 1: a man's sleeveless garment worn underneath a coat [syn:
vest, waistcoat]
2: a collarless men's undergarment for the upper part of the
body [syn: singlet, vest, undershirt]
v 1: provide with power and authority; "They vested the council
with special rights" [syn: invest, vest, enthrone]
[ant: disinvest, divest]
2: place (authority, property, or rights) in the control of a
person or group of persons; "She vested her vast fortune in
her two sons"
3: become legally vested; "The property vests in the trustees"
4: clothe oneself in ecclesiastical garments
5: clothe formally; especially in ecclesiastical robes [syn:
vest, robe]