gusset
Americannoun
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a small, triangular piece of material inserted into a shirt, shoe, etc., to improve the fit or for reinforcement.
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Civil Engineering. a plate for uniting structural members at a joint, as in a steel frame or truss.
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Armor.
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Also called voider. an area of mail backed with cloth, for defending the armpits or areas at joints.
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a small piece of plate armor at the armhole of a cuirass; pallet.
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noun
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an inset piece of material used esp to strengthen or enlarge a garment
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a triangular metal plate for strengthening a corner joist between two structural members
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a piece of mail fitted between armour plates or into the leather or cloth underclothes worn with armour, to give added protection
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gusset
1375–1425; late Middle English < Old French gousset, derivative of gousse pod, husk
Explanation
A reinforcing piece of fabric sewn into a garment is called a gusset. Manufacturers use metal gussets to reinforce joists or join metal plates together. Most gussets are shaped like triangles. Some gussets make clothing sturdier, and some make it wider or shape it more accurately to the body. They might be added along the sides of a shirt, under the arms, or at the spot where inside leg seams meet in a pair of pants or tights. The original gussets were used in chain mail or armor, to cover unprotected areas. The word comes from the Old French gosset, "armhole," or "piece of armor for the armpit."
Vocabulary lists containing gusset
Structural Engineering
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Civil Engineering
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Engineering - Middle School
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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.
I was literally sewing a gusset into those pants up until 30 seconds before we shot!
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2024
But in a follow-up analysis, engineers worried about a damaged gusset plate, shaped like the armor on a stegosaurus, where three beams converge near the deck.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2022
The boots are fully waterproof up to the tongue gusset, they mold to fit almost any foot shape, and the flexible soles are easy to walk in.
From Slate • Nov. 9, 2018
The result is a boyish button-down with specs, from placket to gusset, that are borrowed from him but customized for her.
From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2014
Upon this sampler is taught the placket, the gusset, the nightgown opening and two different methods of putting on bands, and in addition a review of the French seam and the French fell.
From Handicraft for Girls A Tentative Course in Needlework, Basketry, Designing, Paper and Cardboard Construction, Textile Fibers and Fabrics and Home Decoration and Care by McGlauflin, Idabelle
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.
