shirtwaist

[shurt-weyst]

a tailored blouse or shirt worn by women.

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.

Origin of shirtwaist

First recorded in 1875–80; shirt + waist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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.
The Triumph of John Kars
Ridgwell Cullum
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

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