negligee
or neg·li·gée, neg·li·gé
[ neg-li-zhey, neg-li-zhey ]
/ ˌnɛg lɪˈʒeɪ, ˈnɛg lɪˌʒeɪ /
noun
a dressing gown or robe, usually of sheer fabric and having soft, flowing lines, worn by women.
easy, informal attire.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- neglect,
- neglected,
- neglectful,
- neglectfully,
- neglection,
- negligence,
- negligent,
- negligently,
- negligible,
- negotiable
Origin of negligee
1745–55, Americanism; < French négligé carelessness, undress, literally, neglected, past participle of négliger < Latin negligere, variant of neglegere to neglect
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for negligee
negligee
neglige
/ (ˈnɛɡlɪˌʒeɪ) /
noun
a woman's light dressing gown, esp one that is lace-trimmed
a thin and revealing woman's nightdress
any informal attire
Word Origin for negligee
C18: from French négligée, past participle (fem) of négliger to neglect
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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negligee
1756, "a kind of loose gown worn by women," from French négligée, noun use of fem. past participle of négligier "to neglect" (14c.), from Latin neglegere "to disregard, not heed, not trouble oneself about," also "to make light of" (see neglect (v.)). So called in comparison to the elaborate costume of a fully dressed woman of the period. Borrowed again, 1835; the modern sense "semi-transparent, flimsy, lacy dressing gown" is yet another revival, first recorded 1930. It also was used in the U.S. funeral industry mid-20c. for "shroud of a corpse."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper