foundation garment

American  

noun

1. an undergarment, as a girdle or corset, worn by women to support or give shape to the contours of the body.

---

foundation garment British  

noun

1. a woman's undergarment worn to shape and support the figure; brassiere or corset

---

Etymology

Origin of foundation garment

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Modesty required that the black tulle skirts and embroidered tulle dresses worn by Dior’s budding feminist posse be worn with some sort of foundation garment.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2016

For some, the same pressure to appear physically perfect that’s caused Photoshop to run rampant in magazine offices has led to more widespread use of CGI as a kind of foundation garment.

From The Verge • Aug. 5, 2015

Accept that it is no longer possible to cause a ferocious fracas simply by removing a foundation garment and setting fire to it.

From Slate • Nov. 24, 2014

Women embraced her light-weight girdle — once known as a foundation garment — as a body-shaping breakthrough.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2012

When the word corset became unpopular, corset-makers shrewdly substituted the "foundation garment."

From Time Magazine Archive