blouse

[ blous, blouz ]
/ blaʊs, blaʊz /

noun

a usually lightweight, loose-fitting garment for women and children, covering the body from the neck or shoulders more or less to the waistline, with or without a collar and sleeves, worn inside or outside a skirt, slacks, etc.
a single-breasted, semifitted military jacket.
a loose outer garment, reaching to the hip or thigh, or below the knee, and sometimes belted. Compare smock frock.

verb (used without object), bloused, blous·ing.

to puff out in a drooping fullness, as a blouse above a fitted waistband.

verb (used with object), bloused, blous·ing.

to dispose the material of a garment in loose folds, as trouser legs over the tops of boots.

Origin of blouse

1820–30; < French, perhaps from the phrase *vêtement de laine blouse garment of short (i.e., uncarded, pure) wool; compare Provençal ( lano) blouso pure (wool) < Old High German blōz naked, cognate with Old English bleat poor, miserable

OTHER WORDS FROM blouse

blouse·like, adjective blous·y, adjective un·bloused, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for blousing

blouse
/ (blaʊz) /

noun

a woman's shirtlike garment made of cotton, nylon, etc
a loose-fitting smocklike garment, often knee length and belted, worn esp by E European peasants
a loose-fitting waist-length belted jacket worn by soldiers

verb

to hang or make so as to hang in full loose folds

Word Origin for blouse

C19: from French, of unknown origin