camisole

American  

[kam-uh-sohl] / ˈkæm əˌsoʊl /

noun

1. Also called cami.  a short garment worn underneath a sheer bodice to conceal the underwear.

2. a woman's negligee jacket.

3. a sleeved jacket or jersey once worn by men.

4. a straitjacket with long sleeves.

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camisole British  

/ ˈkæmɪˌsəʊl /

noun

1. a woman's underbodice with shoulder straps, originally designed as a cover for a corset

2. a woman's dressing jacket or short negligée

3. (modifier) resembling a camisole (the underbodice), as in fitting snugly around the bust and having a straight neckline

   a camisole slip

   a camisole top

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Etymology

Origin of camisole

First recorded in 1810–20; from French, from Provençal camisola; equivalent to camis(a) (from Late Latin camīsa “shirt”; see chemise) + -ola noun suffix; see -ule

Example Sentences

Another photo, which appears to be on an airplane, shows Clinton with a woman wearing a white camisole.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

Carucci looks at ease in their purple camisole, green basketball shorts and house shoes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2023

For an office-appropriate look, Sena suggests wearing a camisole with a built-in shelf bra; they “go under almost anything,” she notes.

From Washington Post • Sep. 30, 2021

“Instead of working from a place of, ‘I need to make a camisole that’s on-trend,’ I am asking myself, ‘How can I express myself most honestly through this fabric,” she said.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2020

As I slipped on the long camisole and the fresh-smelling petticoat, I noticed three more petticoats stacked right there on the bed, each embroidered more beautifully than the next.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan