chemisette: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very RareHistorical/Formal
Quick answer
What does “chemisette” mean?
A woman's garment worn under a low-necked dress or bodice to cover the upper chest.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A woman's garment worn under a low-necked dress or bodice to cover the upper chest.
Historically, a decorative insert or fill-in piece of fabric, often lace or fine linen, that fills the neckline of a dress, blouse, or jacket.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning; usage is equally rare and historical in both varieties.
Connotations
Evokes Victorian or Edwardian fashion, period dramas, and historical dressmaking.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in modern language, used almost exclusively by historians, costume designers, and in literary descriptions of historical periods.
Grammar
How to Use “chemisette” in a Sentence
to wear a chemisette under [garment]a chemisette made of [material]a chemisette inserted into [dress neckline]Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Academic
Used in historical fashion studies, costume history, and literature analysis.
Everyday
Virtually never used in modern conversation.
Technical
Used in museum cataloging, theatre costume design, and historical reenactment.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “chemisette”
- Mispronouncing the 'ch' as /tʃ/ (like 'chair') instead of /ʃ/ (like 'she').
- Spelling as 'chemizette'.
- Using it to refer to a full blouse or shirt.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. 'Chemisette' is a diminutive of the French word 'chemise' (shirt), referring to a small, shirt-like piece.
Not in everyday fashion. They are used almost exclusively in historical reenactment, period drama costumes, and by some niche religious communities for modesty.
Its primary historical purpose was modesty—to cover the chest and neck area revealed by a low-cut dress—and secondarily, decoration and warmth.
Historically, the term is specific to women's fashion. Men's equivalents from similar periods would be called a 'shirt front', 'dickey', or 'cravat' depending on the style and function.
A woman's garment worn under a low-necked dress or bodice to cover the upper chest.
Chemisette is usually historical/formal in register.
Chemisette: in British English it is pronounced /ˌʃemɪˈzet/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌʃemɪˈzet/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
CHEMIsette covers your CHEMIs (pronounced 'she me')—it's a 'she' garment that covers 'me' modestly.
Conceptual Metaphor
A MODESTY SCREEN, serving as a temporary barrier for propriety.
Practice
Quiz
A 'chemisette' is most closely related to which of the following?