décolleté

or de·colle·te

[ dey-kol-tey, -kol-uh-, dek-uh-luh-; French dey-kawl-tey ]

/ ˌdeɪ kɒlˈteɪ, -kɒl ə-, ˌdɛk ə lə-; French deɪ kɔlˈteɪ /

adjective

(of a garment) low-necked.

wearing a low-necked garment.

RELATED WORDS

plunging, low-necked

Nearby words

débridement, débrouillard, décime, déclassé, décolletage, décolleté, décor, découpage, dégagé, dégringolade, déjeuner

Origin of décolleté

1825–35; < French: past participle of décolleter to bare the neck, equivalent to dé- de- + collet collar (see -et) + -er infinitive suffix

Can be confuseddécolletage décolleté dishabille

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decollete

Some exceptions are decollete, fiancee and fiance, and other words which have been taken over into the language.
The Style Book of The Detroit News|The Detroit News
Her decollete waist allowed the brown skin to be perceived, and her flat feet were inclosed in moccasins.
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume I (of 2)|Alexandre Dumas pre
Bella, who is decollete whenever it is allowable, and more than is proper!
When a Man Marries|Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for decollete

décolleté

/ (deɪˈkɒlteɪ, French dekɔlte) /

adjective

(of a woman's garment) low-cut

wearing a low-cut garment

noun

a low-cut neckline

Word Origin for décolleté

C19: from French décolleter to cut out the neck (of a dress), from collet collar

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

Word Origin and History for decollete

decollete

adj.

1831, from French décolleté, past participle of décolleter "to bare the neck and shoulders," from de- (see de-) + collet "collar of a dress," diminutive of col (Latin collum) "neck" (see collar (n.)). Not to be confused with decollate, which means "to behead."