Dictionary

waistcoat en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈweɪs(t)kəʊt/ spelling pronunciation
• wĕs'kət (dated)
• /ˈwɛskət/ (dated)
• wās(t)'-kōt spelling pronunciation

Etymology

From waist + coat. Compare Yola wauscoat, wazcoote.

Meanings

1. An ornamental garment worn under a doublet.
2. (UK) A sleeveless, collarless garment worn over a shirt and under a suit jacket.
   • In the Victorian Era, exposing your shirtfront in public was considered improper, as shirts were viewed as undergarments. Waistcoats concealed this and helped [to] tame oversized, billowy shirts. 2025 September 12, Jack Collins, “Why Did Men Stop Wearing Three-Piece Suits?”, in Gentleman's Gazette:
   • Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

Forms

Coordinates

gilet

Deriveds

bewaistcoated · waistcoating · waistcoateer · straitwaistcoat · shawl waistcoat · waistcoatless · waistcoated

Descendants

ウェストコート · weskot · wēkete · ਵਾਸਕਟ · ウェスクット · वास्कट

Synonyms

vest

Translations (99)

uk жиле́тка (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · pl kamizelka (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · de Weste (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · fr gilet (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ro vestă (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · vec xiƚè (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · be безрука́ўка (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · hu mellény (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · vi gi-lê (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ga bástcóta (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ka ჟილეტი (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · tr yelek (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ko 조끼 (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · uz jiletka (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · it panciotto (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · kk желетке (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ga veist (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sh pr̀sluk (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · hy ժիլետ (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ja ウェスクット (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · kk кеудеше (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · cs vesta (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · et vest (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ga vástchóta (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · mi wēkete (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ota یلك (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · fa جلیقه (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · cy gwasgodau (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · nb vest (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · tg камзӯлча (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · lt liemenė (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sw kizibao (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ru безрука́вка (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ro jiletcă (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · de Gilet (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · vi áo gi-lê (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · gl chaleco (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · fo vestur (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sv väst (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · lv veste (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · wa djilet (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · is vesti (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · pl bezrękawnik (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · mi wetikote (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · fa ژیله (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · pa ਵਾਸਕਟ (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sl telovnik (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sk vesta (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · it gilè (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ja チョッキ (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · mnc ᡩᡝᡥᡝᠯᡝ (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · uk безрука́вка (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · az jilet (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · yi קאַמזויל (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ky желетке (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sh пр̀слук (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · el γιλέκο (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · uk жиле́т (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · uk камізе́лька (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · es chalequillo (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · kk жилет (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · he וֵסְט (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ar صُدْرِيّة (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · da vest (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · uz nimcha (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · io jileto (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · be камізэ́лька (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · cmn 背心 (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · id rompi (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · vo jilät (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · cmn 坎肩 (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sh јѐлек (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ms weskot (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · nl vest (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · mk елек (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ca armilla (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · hi वास्कट (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sh jèlek (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · pt colete (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · bg жиле́тка (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · bg еле́че (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ru жиле́тка (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · alt жилет (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · mn хантааз (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ja ウェストコート (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · el γελέκο (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · fi liivi (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · kk кәзекей (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ar صِدَار (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ms rompi (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · cy gwasgod (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sq jelek (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · it corpetto (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ja ベスト (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · sgr جلیزقه (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · es chaleco (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · ru жиле́т (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · gd peitean (a sleeveless, collarless garment) · bg еле́к (a sleeveless, collarless garment)