brassiere

American  

[bruh-zeer] / brəˈzɪər /

Or brassière

noun

1. a woman's undergarment for supporting the breasts.

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brassiere British  

/ ˈbræsɪə, ˈbræz- /

noun

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

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Etymology

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 ( brace ) + -ière, suffix added to body part nouns, the resultant derivative denoting an article for that part < Latin -āria -ary

Example Sentences

The film’s laughs come from empathy, not derision, when a brassiere saleswoman tut-tuts that Margaret is “not even a 32A.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2023

Only when DNA technology advanced to the point where a complete genetic profile could be developed from evidence gleaned from the girl’s brassiere could a solid link be made, Detective Leah Wagner said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2020

Russell, though, found the brassiere uncomfortable and insisted on using her own instead.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2017

Try wearing your black brassiere on top of your canary-yellow shantung brunch coat and get back to me.

From Slate • Sep. 9, 2014

The brassiere I had was size 30 AA.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides