Blouses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An upper garment that is generally worn by women, characterized by its relaxed fit, often adorned with various styles and a variety of fabrics
2. A loose upper-body clothing item typically worn by women, designed to cover the torso with a comfortable fit
3. A garment worn on the upper half of the body, usually for women, featuring a soft, flowing cut

Etymology: "Blouses" is simply the plural of "blouse," so the story belongs to the singular. English borrowed the word from French in 1828, when it meant a workman's or peasant's smock: a loose outer garment worn over other clothes to keep them clean. Its ancestry in French is obscure, and the sources offer no firm origin beyond that French form. The garment's character shaped the word's later sense. A smock was rough, practical wear for labourers, and only later did the term come to name the loose, shirt-like upper garment women adopted. That shift from working outerwear to a fashionable item of women's clothing is the main change in the word's meaning across the years since its arrival in English.

Synonyms: tops, shirts