vest

[ vest ]

noun

1. a close-fitting, waist-length, sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, designed to be worn under a jacket.
2. a part or trimming simulating the front of such a garment; vestee. Compare dickey ¹( def 1 ).
3. a waist-length garment worn for protective purposes:

   a bulletproof vest.

4. a sleeveless, waist- or hip-length garment made of various materials, with a front opening usually secured by buttons, a zipper, or the like, worn over a shirt, blouse, dress, or other article for style or warmth:

   a sweater vest; a down vest.

5. British. an undervest or undershirt.
6. a long garment resembling a cassock, worn by men in the time of Charles II.
7. Archaic.
   1. dress; apparel.
   2. an outer garment, robe, or gown.
   3. an ecclesiastical vestment.

verb (used with object)

1. to clothe; dress; robe.
2. to dress in ecclesiastical vestments:

   to vest a bishop.

3. to cover or drape (an altar).
4. to place or settle (something, especially property, rights, powers, etc.) in the possession or control of someone (usually followed by in ):

   to vest authority in a new official.

5. to invest or endow (a person, group, committee, etc.) with something, as powers, functions, or rights:

   to vest the board with power to increase production; to vest an employee with full benefits in the pension plan.

verb (used without object)

1. to put on vestments.
2. to become vested in a person, as a right.
3. to devolve upon a person as possessor; pass into possession or ownership.

vest

/ vɛst /

noun

1. an undergarment covering the body from the shoulders to the hips, made of cotton, nylon, etc US and Canadian equivalentT-shirtundershirt Austral equivalentsinglet
2. a similar sleeveless garment worn as outerwear Austral equivalentsinglet
3. a man's sleeveless waistlength garment worn under a suit jacket, usually buttoning up the front Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)waistcoat
4. obsolete.
   any form of dress, esp a long robe

verb

1. trfoll byin to place or settle (power, rights, etc, in)

   power was vested in the committee

2. trfoll bywith to bestow or confer (on)

   the company was vested with authority

3. usually foll by in to confer (a right, title, property, etc, upon) or (of a right, title, etc) to pass (to) or devolve (upon)
4. tr to clothe or array
5. intr to put on clothes, ecclesiastical vestments, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈvestless, adjective
• ˈvestˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• vestless adjective
• vestlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vest¹

1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English < Italian veste robe, dress < Latin vestis garment; (v.) late Middle English < Middle French vestir < Latin vestīre to clothe, derivative of vestis; akin to wear

Word History and Origins

Origin of vest¹

C15: from Old French vestir to clothe, from Latin vestīre, from vestis clothing

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. play it close to the vest, Informal. to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

Example Sentences

He greeted me wearing gray felt slippers, green pants and a rust-colored down vest at the door of the large brick home that he had lived in for the past 22 years.

From Salon

That feeling of, “OK, I’ve got to get this done. And maybe my whole world is falling apart outside of this, but nobody cares. I’ve got to just power through it, I’ve got to play everything close to the vest. I don’t want anyone to see me as weak.”

From Los Angeles Times

“This silk vest I have had for as long as I can remember in my adult life. It was given to me by my auntie,” says Snell.

From Los Angeles Times

How did I end up here, in what often feels like the Wild West, traveling on this rustic dirt trail — and in a hiking vest?!

From Los Angeles Times

Nearby, in Arizona — also a battleground state for the presidential election — Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes revealed in a recent court hearing that he wears a bulletproof vest during election season.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bestow
• confer
• empower
• endow