bodice
Americannoun
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a usually fitted vest or wide, lace-up girdle worn by women over a dress or blouse, especially a cross-laced, sleeveless outer garment covering the waist and bust, common in peasant dress.
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the part of a woman's dress covering the body between the neck or shoulders and the waist.
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Obsolete. stays or a corset.
noun
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the upper part of a woman's dress, from the shoulder to the waist
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a tight-fitting corset worn laced over a blouse, as in certain national costumes, or (formerly) as a woman's undergarment
Etymology
Origin of bodice
1560–70; bodies, plural of body
Explanation
A bodice is the section of a dress from the waist to the neck. Wedding dresses often have a fitted bodice and a long, flowing skirt. While a bodice is one part of a dress, along with sleeves and a skirt, it can also describe an old-fashioned, vest-like article of clothing. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the bodice was often separate but sewn from the same material as a skirt. You can still see this type of bodice in various types of European folk clothing, like a German dirndl. In the 1560s, bodice was the plural form of body, a "tight-fitting Elizabethan garment."
Vocabulary lists containing bodice
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“How beautiful she is in her shining raiment,” he rhapsodizes, “her birch-bark body, her sable bodice, her white cravat, her goffered ruff.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
The show opened with a series of violet, green and silver sequined tops in a 1920s style -- reproductions of a bodice designed by early 20th-century French designer Paul Poiret who Anderson namechecked as inspiration.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
While Elle, who hails from west Belfast, contrasted in a bubblegum pink dress with a tulle skirt and sparkly bodice.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
Meanwhile, Harrison, who has modeled in campaigns for J. Crew and Topshop, wore a bodice and trousers with a sheer overlay on top.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2025
“You should take this one,” she said, passing me a navy dress with white braided cords arranged across the bodice.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
