bodice

American  

[bod-is] / ˈbɒd ɪs /

noun

1. a usually fitted vest or wide, lace-up girdle worn by women over a dress or blouse, especially a cross-laced, sleeveless outer garment covering the waist and bust, common in peasant dress.

2. the part of a woman's dress covering the body between the neck or shoulders and the waist.

3. Obsolete. stays or a corset.

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bodice British  

/ ˈbɒdɪs /

noun

1. the upper part of a woman's dress, from the shoulder to the waist

2. a tight-fitting corset worn laced over a blouse, as in certain national costumes, or (formerly) as a woman's undergarment

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Etymology

Origin of bodice

1560–70; bodies, plural of body

Explanation

A bodice is the section of a dress from the waist to the neck. Wedding dresses often have a fitted bodice and a long, flowing skirt. While a bodice is one part of a dress, along with sleeves and a skirt, it can also describe an old-fashioned, vest-like article of clothing. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the bodice was often separate but sewn from the same material as a skirt. You can still see this type of bodice in various types of European folk clothing, like a German dirndl. In the 1560s, bodice was the plural form of body, a "tight-fitting Elizabethan garment."

Example Sentences

Infiniti oozed glamour in a lilac sleeveless Louis Vuitton dress with a fitted bodice and a cascade of ruffles tumbling from her hip to the floor, creating a long train.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

“How beautiful she is in her shining raiment,” he rhapsodizes, “her birch-bark body, her sable bodice, her white cravat, her goffered ruff.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Actor Jeremy Pope wore a beautifully constructed Maison Margiela bodice, which fashion theorist Rian Phin noted was aligned with Miller’s writing about “reconstruction of identity through fashion.”

From Salon • May 6, 2025

They dyed chiffon to match the skirt, and miraculously found two more originals on Etsy to cut to fit and reuse the beaded white bodice.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024

Her fingers were thick and awkward as she struggled to lace up her bodice and knot a drab brown cloak about her neck.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• pullover
• turtleneck