Decollete

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Referring to a style of clothing that features a low neckline, typically exposing the shoulders and chest
2. describing an elegant or fashionable design that highlights the upper body
3. characterizing garments that intentionally reveal a significant portion of skin around the neckline

Etymology: The French "décolleté" is the past participle of the verb "décolleter," which means to bare the neck and shoulders, and its core idea is literally "to remove the collar." The verb is built from "dé-," a prefix meaning removal or undoing, and "collet," an old French word for a collar or neckband, which is itself a diminutive of "col," neck. So the word describes a garment or a wearer whose collar has been taken away, leaving the neckline open. In English the adjective is used of dresses and blouses cut low across the bosom, and the noun names such a garment or the bare neckline itself. Because the French form already carried the participle's sense of a completed action, English speakers adopted it largely unchanged, keeping its accent mark and its French pronunciation as a sign of its fashionable, continental origin.