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