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shirtwaist

[shurt-weyst]
noun
  1. a tailored blouse or shirt worn by women.
  2. Also called shirt-dress, shirtwaist dress, shirt·waist·er. a dress with a bodice and a front opening tailored like those of a dress shirt.
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Origin of shirtwaist

First recorded in 1875–80; shirt + waist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for shirt-waist

Historical Examples of shirt-waist

  • Then, after a bit, I got employment in a shirt-waist factory.

    The Trail of '98

    Robert W. Service

  • Some began breaking off floral sprays to decorate hat-band or shirt-waist.

    Missy

    Dana Gatlin

  • Her shirt-waist was snowy-white, and fastened down—oh, so securely!

    The Long Day

    Dorothy Richardson

  • Her shirt-waist was serviceable in seasons as uncertain as the present.

  • She wore a shirt-waist of brown silk, and a little cutaway jacket.

    The Jamesons

    Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

Word Origin and History for shirt-waist

n.

1879, from shirt (n.) + waist (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper