Does Donning Mean Wearing?

1 : to put on (an article of clothing) donned his hat and gloves. 2 : to wrap oneself in : take on sense 3a the donning of new and more tyrannous moralities— Edward Sapir.

Is donning a real word?

v.t. donned, don•ning.

to put on or dress in: to don one's gloves.

Why is it called donning?

Doff and don have been a pair from the start: both date to the 14th century, with doff coming from a phrase meaning "to do off" and don from one meaning "to do on." Shakespeare was first, as far as we know, to use the word as it's defined at sense 2.