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
This Week in Pop Culture : March 9 - 15, 2019
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The Sound and the Fury
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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.
Booysen also had several outfit changes throughout the day, including a white mini dress with a sparkly bodice and feathered skirt for cutting the cake, and an off-the-shoulder satin look for later in the evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
That’s all the context necessary to appreciate Naomi Osaka removing a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice ahead of her opening match at the Roland-Garros Complex this week, revealing a sequined gold playing dress.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Jessie Buckley, the favorite to win the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of William Shakespeare's grief-stricken wife in "Hamnet," looked regal in a red Chanel off-the-shoulder bodice and flowing pink ball skirt.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
“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
Above the waist, he wore the bodice of his lady-like costume; below it, he wore men's breeches and hose.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
