Definitions

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

  • noun A woman's loose, shirtlike undergarment.
  • noun A loosely fitting dress that hangs straight; a shift.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A shift or undergarment worn by women; a smock.
  • noun A short, loose-fitting gown worn by women in the early part of the nineteenth century.
  • noun In fortification: A wall built parallel to and outside of the main wall of a fortress, or concentric with and surrounding a tower, intended to prevent the approach of sappers to the foot of the main defense. The space between the chemise-wall and the main work which it protects, sometimes covered with a penthouse roof.
  • noun A sleeve or an envelop of sheet-iron placed on a mandrel to receive the coils of steel ribbon used in making shot-gun barrels.
  • noun Any covering or envelop, especially one of flexible material, as the parchment bag in which seals of wax were inclosed.
  • noun In mech., a sheath or covering of sheet-metal; specifically, a sheet-iron cylinder placed around the tubes in a vertical boiler.

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

  • noun A shift, or undergarment, worn by women.
  • noun A wall that lines the face of a bank or earthwork.

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

  • noun historical A loose shirtlike undergarment, especially for women.
  • noun A short nightdress, or similar piece of lingerie.
  • noun A woman's dress that fits loosely; a chemise dress.
  • noun A wall that lines the face of a bank or earthwork.

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

  • noun a woman's sleeveless undergarment
  • noun a loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist

Etymologies

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

[Middle English, from Old French, shirt, from Late Latin camisia, probably ultimately (perhaps via Gaulish) of Germanic origin; akin to German Hemd, shirt.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman chemés ("shirt"), Old French chainse, chamisae ("linen clothes, undergarment"), from Latin camisa, camisia ("shirt, undergarment, nightgown"), from Proto-Germanic *hamiþijan (“clothes, shirt, skirt”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱam- (“cover, clothes”). Cognate with Old High German hemidi (German Hemd, "shirt"), Old English hemeþe ("shirt"), ham ("undergarment"), hama ("covering, dress, garment"). More at hame.

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Examples

  • The method of adoption, in accordance with the customs of this nation, is said to have been like this: the old man directs him to strip himself naked and put on linen inner garment, which we call a chemise, and he embraces him, and confirms the entire transaction with kiss; both the old man and the old woman do this.

    The Deeds of God Through the Franks Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy Guibert 1088

  • Then she stripped off her outer gear and she threw open her chemise from the neck downwards and showed her parts genital and all the rondure of her hips.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • His breeches and her chemise were the only barriers, the only protection, but it was enough.

    Much Ado About Marriage Karen Hawkins 2010

  • His breeches and her chemise were the only barriers, the only protection, but it was enough.

    Much Ado About Marriage Karen Hawkins 2010

  • His breeches and her chemise were the only barriers, the only protection, but it was enough.

    Much Ado About Marriage Karen Hawkins 2010

  • She is responsible for popularizing such fads as the Picture Hat, the Gaulle Gown aka chemise a la reine, and the gown en militaire.

    A Small Investigation of Michael O'Connor's Work Heather Carroll 2008

  • One sees a thing, but one sees it badly, so that a feather-broom becomes a head of bristling locks, a red carnation is a beast's open mouth, and a chemise is a ghost in its winding-sheet.

    A Mummer's Tale Anatole France 1884

  • Her shoes white satin, embroidered in gold; the sleeves and body of the chemise, which is of the finest cambric, trimmed with rich lace; and the petticoat, which comes below the dress, shows two flounces of Valenciennes.

    Life in Mexico, During a Residence of Two Years in That Country Frances Erskine Inglis 1843

  • Her shoes white satin, embroidered in gold; the sleeves and body of the chemise, which is of the finest cambric, trimmed with rich lace; and the petticoat, which comes below the dress, shows two flounces of Valenciennes.

    Life in Mexico Frances Calder��n de la Barca 1843

  • There was nothing surprising in their not having chemises, for the chemise is a scarce article in Spain, but the idea of pleasing

    The memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt 1827

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