brassiere

noun

bras·​siere brə-ˈzir How to pronounce brassiere (audio)
 also  ˌbra-sē-ˈer
: a woman's undergarment to cover and support the breasts

Examples of brassiere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The future queen wore granny panties and a large brassiere. Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023 As the party sipped on shots of mezcal and champagne, Hearst, who was wearing a floor-length ivory asymmetric gown revealing a leather brassiere, held the floor, greeting friends and showing them around the space. Rachel Marlowe, Vogue, 13 Nov. 2023 Meanwhile, on Saturday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Morgan Wallen fielded a flying black brassiere — no harm, no foul. Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2023 Today, Maidenform may not have to consider the same demands that the A.T.B. team faces, but during the Second World War the company supplied the military with brassieres for servicewomen. The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 Some weren’t meant for public display: stockings, shoes, a corset, a brassiere. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 20 June 2023 When a soldier is in harm’s way, the brassiere would be worn under a nearly invincible fortress of finery. Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023 Until the modern invention of the brassiere with cups, women had to bolster their busts with either unsupportive bands of cloth or constricting corsets---so the common knowledge went. Sophie Bushwick, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2012 One young man cuts away a large section of the artist’s top before severing the straps of her brassiere. New York Times, 15 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brassiere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete French brassière bodice, from Old French braciere arm protector, from bras arm — more at bracelet

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brassiere was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near brassiere

Cite this Entry

“Brassiere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brassiere. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

brassiere

noun
bras·​siere brə-ˈzi(ə)r How to pronounce brassiere (audio)
 also  ˌbras-ē-ˈe(ə)r
: a woman's close-fitting undergarment to cover and support the breasts
Etymology

from obsolete French brassière "bodice," from early French braciere "arm protector," from bras "arm," from Latin bracchium (same meaning) — related to brace, bracelet

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