lingerie
[lahn-zhuh-rey, lan-zhuh-ree, -juh-; French lanzhuh-ree]
noun
underwear, sleepwear, and other items of intimate apparel worn by women.
Archaic. linen goods in general.
adjective
having the qualities of lingerie; lacy or frilly.
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RELATED WORDS
underwear, unmentionables, nightwear, underclothing, underclothes, nightclothes, undies, underthings
Nearby words
- lingayat,
- lingayata,
- lingayen gulf,
- lingcod,
- linger,
- lingo,
- lingoe,
- lingonberry,
- lingua,
- lingua franca
Origin of lingerie
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for lingerie
lingerie
noun
Word Origin for lingerie
C19: from French, from linge, from Latin līneus linen, from līnum flax
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
lingerie
1835 (but not in widespread use until 1852), from French lingerie "things made of linen," also "laundry room, linen shop" (15c.), from Old French linge "linen" (12c.), from Latin lineus (adj.) "of linen," from linum "flax, linen" (see linen). Originally introduced in English as a euphemism for scandalous under-linen.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper