suit

1、suit 的祖先拉丁 sequi 是"跟随"，同家 sue 起诉（原本就是追着某人跑）、sequence 顺序（跟着排）、consequence 结果（跟着而来的东西）、pursue 追求、sect 派别、set 一套。
2、义项走了条很形象的路：最早指"一队随从"，后来发给随从一身统一制服，再变成今天的套装、西服；从"成套、对得上"又引申出"合适"——This colour suits you。
3、"适合"的分工：suit 指合要求、让人满意；fit 指尺寸用途对得上；adapt、adjust 强调改一改去适应。名词还有个法律义"诉讼"，lawsuit 就是它。

suit 西服，西装，套装，成套，相配，匹配，适宜

来自盎格鲁法语 suit,跟随，来自古法语 suite,跟随，来自通俗拉丁语*sequita,来自拉丁语 sequi, 追随，跟随，词源同 sue,sequence.原指跟随的一群人，追随者，随从，后指配备给随从的统 一的制服，最后演变成现在的套装，西服，以及相关词义匹配，适宜等。

suit

suit: [13] As in the case of its first cousins sect and set, the etymological notion underlying suit is ‘following’. It comes via Anglo-Norman siute from Vulgar Latin *sequita, a noun use of the feminine past participle of *sequere ‘follow’, which in turn was an alteration of Latin sequī ‘follow’ (source of English consequence, persecute, sequence, etc).

It was originally used for a ‘body of followers, retinue’, and it passed from this via a ‘set of things in general’ to (in the 15th century) a ‘set of clothes or armour’. Suite [17] is essentially the same word, but borrowed from modern French. A suitor [13] is etymologically a ‘follower’.
=> sect, set, sue, suite

suit (n.)

c. 1300, sute, also suete, suite, seute, "a band of followers; a retinue, company;" also "set of matching garments" worn by such persons, "matching livery or uniform;" hence " kind, sort; the same kind, a match;" also "pursuit, chase," and in law, "obligation (of a tenant) to attend court; attendance at court," from Anglo-French suit, siwete, from Old French suite, sieute "pursuit, act of following, hunt; retinue; assembly" (12c., Modern French suite), from Vulgar Latin *sequita, fem. of *sequitus, from Latin secutus, past participle of sequi "to attend, follow" (see sequel).

Legal sense of "lawsuit; legal action" is from mid-14c. Meaning "the wooing of a woman" is from late 15c. Meaning "set of clothes to be worn together" is attested from late 14c., also "matching material or fabric," from notion of the livery or uniform of court attendants. As a derisive term for "businessman," it dates from 1979. Meaning "matched set of objects, number of objects of the same kind or pattern used together" is from late 14c., as is that of "row, series, sequence." Meaning "set of playing cards bearing the same symbol" is first attested 1520s, also ultimately from the notion of livery. To follow suit (1670s) is from card-playing: "play a card of the same suit first played," hence, figuratively, "continue the conduct of a predecessor."

suit (v.)

"be agreeable or convenient, fall in with the views of," 1570s, from suit (n.), perhaps from the notion of "join a retinue clad in like clothes." Earlier "seek out" (mid-15c.); "be becoming" (mid-14c.). Meaning "make agreeable or convenient" is from 1590s. Meaning "provide with clothes" is from 1570s; that of "dress oneself" is from 1590s; with up (adv.) from 1945. Expression suit yourself attested by 1851. Related: Suited; suiting.

1. These large institutions make — and change—the rules to suit themselves.

这些大机构总是随意制定规定，而且说变就变。

2. Choose a soft, medium or firm mattress to suit their individual needs.

针对他们各人不同的需要挑选柔软、软硬适中或者坚硬的床垫。

3. She was demurely dressed in a black woollen suit.

她穿了一身黑色羊毛套装，显得很庄重。

4. I saw this nice-looking man in a gray suit.

我见到过这个身着灰色套装的英俊男士。

5. Now politics is all about the right haircut and a sharp suit.

现在政界讲究的无非是合适的发型和时髦的衣着。

【fit, accommodate, conform, suit, adjust, adapt】
这组词都有“使适合，适应”的意思，其区别是：
fit: 含义广，指人或物适合或适应某一目的或用途。
accommodate: 书面用词，指以外部条件标准改变自己或某事以求得适应，着重改变或调节的有利。
conform: 多指与某模式或规则相符，也引申指改变习惯等以适应新的环境。
suit: 指适合要求，从而使人满意愉快。
adjust: 与adapt含义很接近，但adjust所改变的幅度要小一些，侧重过程，主要用于调整角度、高度、光点等。
adapt: 指人或物在原有情况下作某些改变以适应新的环境或不同的条件，强调改变的目的和重要性。

【uniform, clothing, clothes, dress, garment, suit, costume, gown, robe, coat】
这组词都有“衣服、服装”的意思，其区别是：
uniform: 指某团体或组织统一做的制服，如军服、校服等。
clothing: 常用词，集合名词，是衣服的总称。
clothes: 普通用词，多指包括上衣、内衣或裤子等具体的一件件衣服。
dress: 多指正式场合或为某些特定用途而穿的服装，也指童装或女性穿的连衣裙。
garment: 语气庄重，正式用词，复数形式可与clothes换用，指身上全部穿着。单数形式指单件衣服，尤指长袍、外套等外面的衣服。
suit: 指一套服装，一般有几件配成一套的套装。
costume: 指流行某一地区或某一时代的服装，也指演员的戏装。
gown: 指女人穿的长服，尤指教士、法官、教授等的礼服或妇女的睡衣等，也指长袍。
robe: 指长袍，也指浴衣、晨衣。
coat: 指上衣、外衣、大衣、外套及女式上装。