corselet en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈkɔːslət/ (UK)
Etymology
From French corselet, from cors, an archaic spelling of corps (“body”).
Meanings
- Armor for the body, for example a breastplate and backpiece taken together.
-
An entire suit of armor, made up chiefly of the breastplate and backpiece worn with a headpiece and with a gorget, pauldrons, vambraces, gauntlets, and tassets attached.
Strictly speaking, the word corcelet meant only that part which covered the body, but was generally used to express the whole suit, under the terms of a corselet furnished, or complete.
1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 21:
- A tight-fitting item of clothing which covers the body and not the limbs.
- A type of women's underwear, combining a bra and a girdle in one garment; a corselette.
-
The thorax of an insect.
With the added suggestion of her goggles it reminded her pupil of the polished shell or corslet of a horrid beetle.
1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| corselette | alternative | lexicographic | |
| corselets | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| corslet | alternative | lexicographic | |
| corcelet | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (11)
fr combiné (underwear) · pl gorset (tight-fitting item of clothing) · hu vért (armour for the body) · pl pancerz (armour for the body) · ang byrne (armour for the body) · pl zbroja (entire suit of armor) · pl napierśnik (armour for the body) · pl korselet (underwear) · fi korseletti (underwear) · pl pancerz (entire suit of armor) · cs šněrovačka (underwear)