The word "服装" is formed by combining two characters, each with its own meaning related to attire, to create a single, more comprehensive concept. The first character, "服" (fú), originally depicted clothing draped over a person and carries the core meaning of garments or to wear. The second character, "装" (zhuāng), encompasses ideas of dressing up, adorning, or outfit. Together, they semantically reinforce each other, merging to form a compound word that broadly means "clothing and adornment" or "apparel", referring to attire as a complete dressed presentation rather than a single item.