'dressmake' originates from English, specifically the words 'dress' and 'make', where 'dress' meant 'garment' and 'make' meant 'to produce'.

'dress' (from Old French forms related to 'dresser' meaning to arrange or prepare clothing) and 'make' (from Old English 'macian') combined in Modern English to form the compound 'dress-make' (later written as 'dressmake') for the activity of making dresses.

Initially it referred straightforwardly to producing or preparing garments; over time it remained essentially the same in meaning, becoming associated specifically with making women's dresses or the trade of dressmaking.