brassiere

or bras·sière

[ bruh-zeer ]
/ brəˈzɪər /

noun

a woman's undergarment for supporting the breasts.
Also called bra.

Origin of brassiere

1910–15; < French brassière bodice worn as an undergarment to support the breasts (now obsolete in this sense), Middle French bracieres camisole, Old French: armor for the arms, equivalent to bras arm (see brace) + -ière, suffix added to body part nouns, the resultant derivative denoting an article for that part < Latin -āria -ary

Words nearby brassiere

Example sentences from the Web for brassiere

British Dictionary definitions for brassiere

brassiere
/ (ˈbræsɪə, ˈbræz-) /

noun

a woman's undergarment for covering and supporting the breasts Often shortened to: bra

Word Origin for brassiere

C20: from C17 French: bodice, from Old French braciere a protector for the arm, from braz arm