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gilet

British  
/ dʒɪˈleɪ /

noun

  1. a waist- or hip-length garment, usually sleeveless, fastening up the front; sometimes made from a quilted fabric, and designed to be worn over a blouse, shirt, etc

  2. a bodice resembling a waistcoat in a woman's dress

  3. such a bodice as part of a ballet dancer's costume

"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

Etymology

Origin of gilet

C19: French, literally: waistcoat

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.

See Examples For:

He was last seen wearing a beige bucket hat, a red and white striped gilet with black clothing underneath, black trousers and dark coloured shoes.

From BBC Aug. 30, 2023

This includes an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket, a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat, black jeans, green walking socks, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace and a pale blue Fitbit.

From BBC Feb. 4, 2023

The resulting price hike sparked the gilet jaunes, or "yellow vests" movement, with hundreds of thousands of French citizens protesting in the streets.

From Salon Apr. 27, 2022

A Parisian-style trenchcoat, for instance, is made quirky by being layered under a padded gilet, which Beckham calls “a petrol station puffer”.

From The Guardian Sep. 20, 2020

Thus we have the Lloyd George cravate, the Wilson gilet and the "Bonarlaw" chapeau melon.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, March 19, 1919 by Various

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