Raiment is an old-fashioned word for clothing or garments, especially fine or formal ones. You might encounter it in classic books or historical writing, where a character dresses in “royal raiment” or “silk raiment.” The word carries a sense of elegance or ceremony that “clothes” doesn't quite capture.

In the Bible and Shakespeare's plays, people wear raiment rather than just getting dressed. A king might appear in splendid raiment of purple and gold, while a peasant wears simple raiment of rough wool. The word suggests that clothing matters, and that what you wear says something about who you are or the occasion you're marking.

Today, we rarely use raiment in everyday conversation. You wouldn't tell your friend “nice raiment!” when you like their outfit. But you might see it in poetry, fantasy novels, or historical fiction, where writers want to create an atmosphere of an earlier time. When you come across raiment in your reading, it's a signal that the author is reaching for a more formal, old-world feeling than the plain word “clothes” would provide.