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peplum

[pep-luh m]
noun, plural pep·lums, pep·la [pep-luh] /ˈpɛp lə/.
  1. a short full flounce or an extension of a garment below the waist, covering the hips.
  2. a short skirt attached to a bodice or jacket.
  3. Obsolete. a peplos.
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Origin of peplum

1670–80; < Latin < Greek *péplon (neuter; only plural pépla occurs). See peplos
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for peplum

Historical Examples

  • His wife has a veil (peplum) almost like that which Greek women have.

    Byzantine Churches in Constantinople

    Alexander Van Millingen

  • And she detached the cameo which fastened the peplum upon her shoulder.

    King Candaules

    Thophile Gautier

  • If I have said little about Mr. Peplum, it is because Mr. Peplum seemed to have very little to do with it.

  • For an instant he was bending over sandals, caressing a peplum's hem.

    A Transient Guest

    Edgar Saltus

  • She was dressed in a black tunic of her own invention, a combination of the Greek peplum and the Japanese kimono.

    The Enemies of Women

    Vicente Blasco Ibez

British Dictionary definitions for peplum

peplum

noun plural -lums or -la (-lə)
  1. a flared ruffle attached to the waist of a jacket, bodice, etc
  2. a variant of peplos
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Word Origin

C17: from Latin: full upper garment, from Greek peplos shawl
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