chemise

American  

[shuh-meez] / ʃəˈmiz /

noun

1. a woman's loose-fitting, shirtlike undergarment.

2. (in women's fashions) a dress designed to hang straight from the shoulders and fit loosely at the waist, sometimes more tightly at the hip.

3. a revetment for an earth embankment.

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chemise British  

/ ʃəˈmiːz /

noun

1. an unwaisted loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders

2. a loose shirtlike undergarment

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Etymology

Origin of chemise

before 1050; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French: shirt < Late Latin camīsa linen undergarment, shirt; replacing Middle English kemes, Old English cemes < Late Latin camīsa

Explanation

A chemise is a simple, loose-fitting dress. If you're heading to the beach, you might throw a chemise on over your bathing suit. Use the word chemise for an unstructured garment without any defined waist — think of the dresses flappers wore in the 1920s, which hung straight down from their shoulders. It's just as common to call a nightgown or a slip — a type of undergarment worn beneath a dress — a chemise. The word comes from Old French, meaning "tunic," and was originally used for the tunics worn by soldiers beneath their armor.

Example Sentences

About the only thing that W does not pick up from WWD is the daily's daily hamper of garment-industry news, though W does cover the nontrade side of fashion like a Big Chemise.

From Time Magazine Archive

Reported Women's Wear Daily: "Yves St. Laurent's Naive Chemise is the only real fashion message out of this season."

From Time Magazine Archive

Unlike the sad "sack" of the '60s, St. Laurent's Naive Chemise features more elegant tailoring, arm-length sleeves with tightly buttoned cuffs, high necklines and low, mid-calf hems.

From Time Magazine Archive

For news about this coverup, see BUSINESS, Chemise at Sea.

From Time Magazine Archive

At last he smiled and exclaimed brightly, "Chemise pour jambes, s'il vous plait."

From The A.E.F. With General Pershing and the American Forces by Broun, Heywood