brassiere

or bras·sière

[ bruh-zeer ]

See synonyms for brassiere on Thesaurus.com

noun

a woman's undergarment for supporting the breasts.

Origin of brassiere

1910–15; <French brassière bodice worn as an undergarment to support the breasts (now obsolete in this sense), Middle French bracieres camisole, Old French: armor for the arms, equivalent to bras arm (see brace) + -ière, suffix added to body part nouns, the resultant derivative denoting an article for that part <Latin -āria-ary

Also called bra.

Words Nearby brassiere

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brassiere in a sentence

She picked out a slightly padded, flesh-toned brassiere that I could barely bring myself to try on.
What Lies Beneath: How Lingerie Got Sexy | Raquel Laneri | June 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The tapes are crossed at the back and brought round to the front to regulate the fit of the brassiere.
Needlework Economies | Various
Sew a piece of tape ending with a loop on the point of the front to fasten the brassiere to the corset.
Needlework Economies | Various
With the brassiere in place, she stood looking at her slim image.
Deadly City | Paul W. Fairman
This garment has the added attraction of being fastened to the upper garment, a tight satin brassiere.
Roast Beef, Medium | Edna Ferber

The pattern for the brassiere shown here is in three parts, the front, side-front and back.
Needlework Economies | Various

British Dictionary definitions for brassiere

brassiere

/ (ˈbræsɪə, ˈbræz-) /

noun

a woman's undergarment for covering and supporting the breasts: Often shortened to: bra

Origin of brassiere

C20: from C17 French: bodice, from Old French braciere a protector for the arm, from braz arm

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

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