corselet

English

Alternative forms

• corcelet
• corselette
• corslet

Etymology

From French corselet, from cors, an archaic spelling of corps (“body”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔːslət/

Noun

corselet (plural corselets)

1. Armor for the body, for example a breastplate and backpiece taken together.
2. An entire suit of armor, made up chiefly of the breastplate and backpiece worn with a headpiece and with a gorget, pauldrons, vambraces, gauntlets, and tassets attached.
   • 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 21:

     Strictly speaking, the word corcelet meant only that part which covered the body, but was generally used to express the whole suit, under the terms of a corselet furnished, or complete.

3. A tight-fitting item of clothing which covers the body and not the limbs.
4. A type of women's underwear, combining a bra and a girdle in one garment; a corselette.
5. (zoology) The thorax of an insect.
   • 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:

     With the added suggestion of her goggles it reminded her pupil of the polished shell or corslet of a horrid beetle.

Translations

armour for the body

• Hungarian: vért (hu)
• Old English: byrne f

entire suit of armor

tight-fitting item of clothing

underwear

• Czech: šněrovačka f
• Finnish: korseletti (fi)
• French: combiné (fr) m

thorax — see thorax

Anagrams

• Electors, corelets, electors, electros, selector

French

Etymology

Diminutive form of Old French cors.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔʁ.sə.lɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

corselet m (plural corselets)

1. corselet (garment)
2. (zoology) corselet, thorax

Further reading

• “corselet”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.