Dictionary

unitard en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈjuː.nɪ.tɑːd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈju.nɪˌtɑɹd/ (General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Blend of uni- + leotard.

Meanings

1. A skin-tight garment covering the torso and the legs, sometimes the arms and feet.
   • While Lincoln Kirstein noted that the unitards did show clearly the dancers' lines, he too found them distracting: "Union-suit tights are hard to make look neat, but the line of undergarments shining through continually destroyed the line." 2007, Leslie Norton, Frederic Franklin, Frederic Franklin: A Biography of the Ballet Star, page 46:
   • The unitard consists of a leotard (a sort of stretchy one-piece bathing suit) attached to a pair of tights, which completely cover the legs. The unitard can be worn by anyone — men and women, boys, girls, and extraordinarily graceful household pets. 2011, Scott Speck, Evelyn Cisneros, Ballet for Dummies, unnumbered page:
   • Backstage (that is, in the high school locker room) before the show, all the other senior girls were pulling on their red unitards for the jazz piece. 2011, Jodi Lundgren, Leap, page 73:

Forms

Deriveds

unitarded