Armscye

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The curved opening in a garment through which the arm passes ; the cut-out edge that forms the armhole of a sleeve or bodice
2. A tailored edge around the hole where the arm enters a shirt or jacket ; the seam-defined armhole that a sleeve is attached to
3. The hollow cut in clothing that allows the arm to move freely ; the armhole seam where a sleeve joins the body of a garment

Etymology: "Scye" is an old English word for the armhole of a garment, and it is a word most people have never heard of. It survives mainly in "armscye," which simply joins "arm" and "scye." The first element needs no explanation, while the second is a term tailors and dressmakers have used for centuries to name the curved opening where the sleeve meets the body of a shirt or jacket. The compound is plain in construction: "arm" plus "scye," the latter an older word for the same opening. Its specialized sense has stayed fixed for generations, so the word still names exactly what it did when it was first formed, a hollow cut in cloth that lets the arm swing freely.

Synonyms: armhole