skivvy

¹

or sciv·vy

[ skiv-ee ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural skiv·vies.

1. Also called skivvy shirt. a man's cotton T-shirt.
2. skivvies, underwear consisting of cotton T-shirt and shorts.
3. a thin sweater with a round neck, usually worn over a blouse, turtleneck, or the like.

skivvy

²

[ skiv-ee ]

noun

, plural skiv·vies.

1. a female servant, especially a chambermaid.

verb (used without object)

, skiv·vied, skiv·vy·ing.

1. to work as a skivvy.

skivvy

¹

/ ˈskɪvɪ /

noun

1. slang.
   a man's T-shirt or vest
2. slang.
   plural men's underwear
3. a garment resembling a sweater with long sleeves and a polo neck, usually made of stretch cotton or cotton and polyester and worn by either sex

skivvy

²

/ ˈskɪvɪ /

noun

1. derogatory.
   a servant, esp a female, who does menial work of all kinds; drudge

verb

1. intr to work as a skivvy

Sensitive Note

This term is used with disparaging intent, implying the low rank of such a servant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of skivvy¹

First recorded in 1925–30; origin uncertain

Origin of skivvy²

First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of skivvy¹

of unknown origin

Origin of skivvy²

C20: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Amazon says a better measure is body fat percentage, which it calculates by asking you to stand in front of your phone’s camera in your skivvies for a 360-degree photo shoot and then sending the shots to Amazon’s cloud for analysis.

From Washington Post

It gets better: he also models the skivvy styles, in all of his ripped soccer star glory.

From The Daily Beast

"I ain't no skivvy," he protests all the time, but every little odd job gets done.

From Project Gutenberg

The servant is a servant, a "slavey," a "skivvy," a "Mary Jane."

From Project Gutenberg

Mrs. Tams was the general servant; what Louis occasionally called "the esteemed skivvy."

From Project Gutenberg

She that was waiting on you, she's got you to skivvy for her now!

From Project Gutenberg

Suppose you send that goggle-eyed skivvy of yours on an errand.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bond servant
• bondslave
• bondsman/woman
• captive
• chattel
• serf