Meaning of Bodice | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A corset-like sleeveless overgarment for women, sometimes provided with detachable sleeves.
2. A blouse; any shirt for women, particularly the upper part of a two-piece dress or similar European folk costume.
3. The upper portion of a women's one-piece dress, equivalent to a shirt, sometimes specifically excluding the sleeves.
4. An underbodice: an undershirt for women.
5. Particularly a corset or other undershirt stiffened with whalebone.
   archaic

Equivalents

Examples

“As she knelt, too, her amber locks fell in rich ringlets about her beautiful head, her innocent bosom palpitated beneath the crimson boddice, and her timid blushes increased the effulgence of her charms.”

“On the cover of the leaflet advertising the Alpenrose Gasthof in Zirl am Gurgl […] there is a decorative picture of a young woman. She is wearing Tyrolese costume: the low-cut white bodice with cross-laced velvet waistcoat, the floral apron and dirndl skirt.”

“Patty said, ‘It’s almost one of those awful parts where a girl is just brought in to stand and look sexy, and not really do anything. I don’t just want to come in wearing a tight open-bodice dress and be an ornament. I’m an actress; I want lines.’”

CEFR level