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lingerie

[ lahn-zhuh-rey, lan-zhuh-ree, -juh-; French lanzhuh-ree ]
/ ˌlɑn ʒəˈreɪ, ˈlæn ʒəˌri, -dʒə-; French lɛ̃ʒəˈri /
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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

  1. lingayat,
  2. lingayata,
  3. lingayen gulf,
  4. lingcod,
  5. linger,
  6. lingo,
  7. lingoe,
  8. lingonberry,
  9. lingua,
  10. lingua franca

Origin of lingerie

1825–35; < French, equivalent to Middle French linge linen (< Latin līneus of flax; see line1) + -erie -ery
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lingerie

British Dictionary definitions for lingerie

lingerie

/ (ˈlænʒərɪ) /

noun

women's underwear and nightwear
archaic linen goods collectively

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
Word Origin and History for lingerie

lingerie

n.

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