corset

[kawr-sit]

noun

1. Sometimes corsets. a close-fitting undergarment, stiffened with whalebone or similar material and often capable of being tightened by lacing, enclosing the trunk: worn, especially by women, to shape and support the body; stays.

verb (used with object)

1. to dress or furnish with or as if with a corset.

2. to regulate strictly; constrict.

corset

/ ˈkɔːsɪt /

noun

1. 1. a stiffened, elasticated, or laced foundation garment, worn esp by women, that usually extends from below the chest to the hips, providing support for the spine and stomach and shaping the figure

   2. a similar garment worn because of injury, weakness, etc, by either sex

2. informal,  a restriction or limitation, esp government control of bank lending

3. a stiffened outer bodice worn by either sex, esp in the 16th century

verb

1. (tr) to dress or enclose in, or as in, a corset

Other Word Forms

• corsetless adjective
• uncorseted adjective
• well-corseted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of corset¹

1225–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to cors bodice, body + -et -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of corset¹

C14: from Old French, literally: a little bodice; see _corselet

Example Sentences

Every July, Ms Arigbabu's team of tailors start preparing for next year: corset bases are cut; silhouettes are sketched; fabrics are sourced.

From BBC

Sometimes she’s wearing a tightly laced corset, a wool minidress or a methodical two-piece set.

From Los Angeles Times

Dressed in a white lace corset and knee-high bovver boots, she high-kicked across the stage, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

From BBC

She is, however, going to be wearing uncomfortable shoes, a large skirt and a corset, Chang offers.

From Los Angeles Times

Cerezo dresses De la Huerta in a white petticoat and matching corset until she tosses off the top and demands total silence.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bodice 
• underwear