shirtwaist

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A woman's blouse cut in the style of a man's shirt, with buttons down the front.

   Grammar: Countable; usually discussed historically: a shirtwaist, two shirtwaists.

   Patterns

   • a shirtwaist and skirt

   She wore a crisp white shirtwaist and a long skirt.

   Factory women of the 1900s often sewed shirtwaists.

   The museum has a lace shirtwaist from 1905.

2. 2nouncountable

   A dress with the top made like a shirt, with a collar and buttons.

   Grammar: Also called a shirtwaist dress.

   Patterns

   • a shirtwaist dress

   Her mother's favorite was a blue cotton shirtwaist.

   The shop sells a modern shirtwaist with a belt.

Word forms

Common combinations

shirtwaist dress

She bought a striped shirtwaist dress.

white shirtwaist

The workers wore white shirtwaists.

Triangle Shirtwaist fire

The Triangle Shirtwaist fire led to safer factory laws.

shirtwaist factory

Many young immigrants worked in a shirtwaist factory.

Synonyms and how they differ

blouse

Blouse is the standard modern word for a woman's top, while shirtwaist sounds historical.

shirt

Shirt is general, but a shirtwaist has a tailored, mannish look and was designed for women.

Word family

shirt noun

a garment for the upper body

waist noun

the narrow part of the body at the middle

shirtwaister noun

a British name for a shirtwaist dress

Commonly confused: shirtwaist or waistcoat?

Practice

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