chemise

noun

che·​mise shə-ˈmēz How to pronounce chemise (audio)
 sometimes  -ˈmēs
1
: a woman's one-piece undergarment
2
: a loose straight-hanging dress

Examples of chemise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web She is dressed in a white chemise that falls off one shoulder. Washington Post, 24 May 2023 From the days of slip dresses in Y2K rom-coms like Thirteen Going on Thirty to Addison’s 2023 chemise, the lingerie-as-fashion trend has seen a major comeback. Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 14 Feb. 2023 Without them, Daphne Bridgerton would be promenading in an untelegenic bonnet, hiding her pretty little face, and the scenes of ladies being tight-laced into their corsets would be cut, as corsets of the 19th-century did not nip the waist and were actually worn over a chemise. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2022 In a literally and figuratively exposed moment, Lib, suffering from her own personal traumas, wears the collar still attached to her chemise undershirt — but not much else. Fawnia Soo Hoo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2023 Negga variously wears fur and a chemise and a high-necked cheongsam and a golden evening gown. Helen Shaw, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2022 To serve as a barrier between her body and the dress’s stays — a corset-like piece that laces at the back — Ms. Bromfield made an under layer known as a chemise. Michelle V. Agins Christopher Barnard, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2022 Hailey's outfit consisted of a chemise-style top with black lace detailing with underwear and suspenders that was finished off, of course, with a silk eye mask to nod to the masquerade theme. Fiona Ward, Glamour, 24 Oct. 2022 Black lace trim details the sating chemise, which features a see-through stomach panel beginning at the underbust. Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 24 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chemise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Old French cheminse, chamisae "tunic-like garment worn directly against the skin," going back to Late Latin camīsia, perhaps borrowed from a continental Celtic word borrowed from West Germanic *hamiþja- (whence Old English hemeþe "undergarment, tunic, shirt," Old Frisian hemethe, hemede, hamed, Old Saxon hemithi, Old High German hemidi), derivative, with the dental suffix *-iþja-, of Germanic *hama- or *haman- "shape, human form, covering" (whence Old English hama [masculine weak noun] "covering, womb, afterbirth, slough of a snake," Old Norse hamr "skin, shape (assumed by a supernatural entity)," and in compounds Old Frisian līkhoma, lichama "body, corpse," Old Saxon gūthhamo "battle shirt," līkhamo "body, corpse," Old High German gundhamo, līhnamo), of uncertain origin

Note: The word chemise occurs once in Middle English, presumably borrowed from Anglo-French, but as a designation for a woman's garment it does not occur after that until the eighteenth century, when it was reborrowed from French. Late Latin camīsia was taken directly into Old English as cemes "shirt, undergarment," continued in Middle English as kemes, kemse, but not surviving any later. The kind of garment designated by camīsia, a sort of close-fitting shirt worn by men, was apparently not familiar to the Romans, so Latin had no name for it; the tunica "tunic," usually at least knee-length and belted, was evidently not the same. The earliest attestation of camīsia, in a letter of jerome (Epistolae 64.11), describes it as having "close-fitting sleeves" ("strictis manicis") descending to the legs ("… usque ad crura descendat"); camīsia was the vernacular name for such a garment, worn by soldiers ("… solent militares habere lineas, quas camisias vocant" - "soldiers customarily possess linen garments, which they call camisiae"). The etymology given above is often accepted, but it is not without obscurities. The reflection of Germanic initial h as c in camīsia is peculiar, as is the long i, attested as short in outcomes of the etymon only in easternmost Romance (Romanian, Dalmatian, dialects of northeast Italy). British Celtic languages have what appears to be an early loan from Old English hemeþe, though with a sibilant that is perhaps owed to the Latin word: Welsh hefys, hefis "woman's undergarment" (ca. 1400 heuis), Old Cornish heuis (glossing colobium "sleeveless tunic"), Old Breton hemis (in guest-hemisiou, glossing lāticlāvia "tunic with a broad purple stripe"). The Germanic etymon has been further compared with Sanskrit śāmulya- "garment," though given the lack of other evidence this connection is questionable.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chemise was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near chemise

Cite this Entry

“Chemise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chemise. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chemise

noun
che·​mise shə-ˈmēz How to pronounce chemise (audio)
-ˈmēs
1
: a woman's one-piece undergarment
2
: a loose dress that hangs straight

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