Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A woman's sleeveless undergarment or shirt with narrow and often adjustable straps.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A short light garment with sleeves, usually of material that will wash, worn by women as a dressing-sack or in morning-dress.
  • noun A strait-jacket.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A short dressing jacket for women.
  • noun A kind of straitjacket.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun historical A light jacket with sleeves.
  • noun A short, sleeveless undergarment worn by women underneath a blouse, or as a form of short negligee.
  • noun dated A straitjacket.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a short sleeveless undergarment for women
  • noun a short negligee

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French (from Italian camiciola, diminutive of camicia, shirt) or from Old Provençal camisolla, diminutive of camisa, shirt, both from Late Latin camisia, camīsa; see chemise.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French camisole, from Spanish camisola, diminutive of camisa ("shirt").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word camisole.

Examples

  • A camisole is a woman's sleeveless often lace trimmed undergarment for the upper body, worn as under a sheer blouse.

    Britney Spears Stages Pussy Lips Temple of Love Coup 2006

  • A camisole is a type of straitjacket; and a very convenient type it is for those who resort to such methods of restraint, for it enables them to deny the use of strait-jackets at all.

    A Mind That Found Itself An Autobiography Clifford Whittingham Beers 1909

  • A camisole is a type of straitjacket; and a very convenient type it is for those who resort to such methods of restraint, for it enables them to deny the use of strait-jackets at all.

    A Mind That Found Itself Beers, Clifford W. 1908

  • Along with the word lingerie used in place of undergarments, other terms changed to reflect the emphasis on seduction; the shift was first called a camisole and then simply known as a “slip” by this period, drawers turning into knickers and petticoats into “frillies “.

    Edwardians Unbuttoned | Edwardian Promenade 2008

  • Kit picked herself off the cellar floor, her arms wrapped around her body as curls of smoke arose from what was left of her camisole.

    Slice Of Cherry Dia Reeves 2011

  • The back of her camisole was almost completely burned away, though the skin beneath was smooth and untouched.

    Slice Of Cherry Dia Reeves 2011

  • I hide most of the damage with a white camisole and my black Elie Tahari power suit.

    Left Neglected Lisa Genova 2011

  • With her black leggings and camisole she looked like a punk angel.

    Slice Of Cherry Dia Reeves 2011

  • Her hair was greasy, and her camisole was stained with food.

    Choker Elizabeth Woods 2011

  • Her camisole shifted, hanging down to reveal her bony chest.

    Choker Elizabeth Woods 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • And I'll say your camisole was a sprightly light magenta

    When in fact it was a nappy bluish grey

    January 21, 2007

  • Check out caffeinatedcows' Decemberists lyrics

    January 22, 2007

  • I've seen it.

    January 22, 2007