Watteau back


noun
  1. a loose, full back of a woman's gown, formed by wide box pleats hanging from a high shoulder yoke and extending to the hem in an unbroken line.

Origin of Watteau back

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; after a type of gown depicted in paintings by Watteau

Words Nearby Watteau back

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Watteau back in a sentence

  • It is cut low in the neck, and has those sleeves which open above the elbow, and a Watteau back.

    A Very Naughty Girl | L. T. Meade
  • I wonder how a Watteau back like that would go on my blue alpaca?

    The Pursuit of the House-Boat | John Kendrick Bangs
  • I told Mademoiselle Leroe to make it in that style; that little Watteau back is so very becoming to small girls.

    Daddy's Girl | L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for Watteau back

Watteau back

noun
  1. a section at the back of a woman's dress that is caught in pleats or gathers at the neck and falls unbelted to the floor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012