peplum

[ pep-luhm ]

/ ˈpɛp ləm /

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noun, plural pep·lums, pep·la

[pep-luh]. /ˈpɛp lə/.

a short full flounce or an extension of a garment below the waist, covering the hips.

a short skirt attached to a bodice or jacket.

Obsolete. a peplos.

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Origin of peplum

1670–80; <Latin <Greek *péplon (neuter; only plural pépla occurs). See peplos

Words nearby peplum

Pepin, pepino, Pepin the Short, pepita, peplos, peplum, peplus, pepo, pepper, pepper-and-salt, pepperbox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use peplum in a sentence

Anyway, here she is next to the 45th president wearing a crimson red peplum dress blazed with the GOP’s phrase of the moment.
Lauren Boebert’s ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Dress Screams Prom Villain|Alaina Demopoulos|November 5, 2021|The Daily Beast
She wears a green peplum dress, long dangling earrings and a giant brooch.
Meet Lanvin’s Unlikely New Face, Jacquie Tajah Murdock|Isabel Wilkinson|July 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Peplum, pep′lum, n. an upper robe worn by women in ancient Greece.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
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

At the end of the room stood now a huge archaic Nik, with outstretched peplum and soaring wings.
Elizabeth's Campaign|Mrs. Humphrey Ward
The antique Greek peplum of soft white wool fell in long folds, cinctured high under the breast.
The Death of the Gods|Dmitri Mrejkowski
The noble and simple lines of the peplum restored her resemblance to some ancient Athenian vestal.
The Death of the Gods|Dmitri Mrejkowski

British Dictionary definitions for peplum

peplum

/ (ˈpɛpləm) /

noun plural -lums or -la (-lə)

a flared ruffle attached to the waist of a jacket, bodice, etc

a variant of peplos

Word Origin for peplum

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