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bodice. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
bodice, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
bodice in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
bodice you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From bodies, plural of body (“upper part of a dress”).
Pronunciation
Noun
bodice (plural bodices) (fashion)
- A sleeveless shirt for women, sometimes provided with detachable sleeves.
- Blouse; any shirt for women, particularly the upper part of a two-piece dress or European folk costume.
1829 June 10 (date written), [Washington Irving], “[The Legend of Don Roderick.] The Story of Florinda.”, in Legends of the Conquest of Spain (The Crayon Miscellany; no. 3), Philadelphia, Pa.: [Henry Charles] Carey, [Isaac] Lea, & Blanchard, published 1835, →OCLC, pages 38–39:As she knelt, too, her amber locks fell in rich ringlets about her beautiful head, her innocent bosom palpitated beneath the crimson boddice, and her timid blushes increased the effulgence of her charms.
1956, Delano Ames, chapter 1, in Crime out of Mind:On the cover of the leaflet advertising the Alpenrose Gasthof in Zirl am Gurgl […] there is a decorative picture of a young woman. She is wearing Tyrolese costume: the low-cut white bodice with cross-laced velvet waistcoat, the floral apron and dirndl skirt.
- The upper portion of a women's one-piece dress, equivalent to a shirt.
- Underbodice: an undershirt for women, (archaic) particularly a corset or other undershirt stiffened with whalebone.
Hyponyms
- (sleeveless shirt for women): jelick (Ottoman Turkish version); dudou (Chinese version); yem (Chinese version in Vietnamese contexts); angiya (Indian Muslim version); jumps (obsolete European version)
- (sleeved shirt for women): See blouse
- (undershirt for women): See underbodice
Meronyms
- (sleeveless shirt for women): plastron (decorated front area)
- (upper part of a dress): robing (decorative trim)
Derived terms
Translations
sleeveless garment covering body from neck to waist
blouse-like garment in European folk dress
upper portion of one- or two-piece dress
kind of under waist stiffened with whalebone
Anagrams