The word 礼服 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core idea to create a new, unified concept. The first character, 礼 (lǐ), carries the essential meaning of "ritual", "ceremony", or "propriety". The second character, 服 (fú), conveys the fundamental idea of "clothing" or "garments". When fused, they do not merely list two things but conceptually merge to specify a single category: the type of clothing that is worn for formal, ceremonial, or socially propriety-bound occasions, hence "formal attire" or "ceremonial dress".