camisole

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a short, sleeveless undergarment for the upper body, traditionally worn by women

   She wore a silk camisole beneath the sheer blouse.

2. 2
   noun

   historical: a loose jacket, short nightdress, or straitjacket

   The museum displayed a nineteenth-century restraint labeled as a camisole.

Borrowed from French camisole, from Old Occitan camisola, a diminutive of camisa, 'shirt.' English applied the word to several short or light garments before the modern sleeveless undergarment became its usual sense.

Topics