waistcoat
[wes-kuh t, weyst-koht]
- Chiefly British. vest(def 1).
- an 18th-century garment for women that is similar to a man's vest, usually worn with a riding habit.
- a man's body garment, often quilted and embroidered and having sleeves, worn under the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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Origin of waistcoat
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for waistcoat
Contemporary Examples
At another point he forgot his waistcoat, and sent another man to look for it.
She took the podium in a black McQueen waistcoat embroidered with gold flowers and knee-high leather boots.
Historical Examples
He had stripped off his coat and waistcoat, and was busily at work in his shirt-sleeves.
Little DaffydowndillyNathaniel Hawthorne
He took one, and placed it nonchalantly in his waistcoat pocket, as he had seen the others do.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Levi had taken off his coat and waistcoat and was fanning himself with his hat.
Howard Pyle's Book of PiratesHoward Pyle
He will prolong your life and loosen every button on your waistcoat.
The UnderdogF. Hopkinson Smith
What's that I see through the hole in your waistcoat pocket?
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
waistcoat
- a sleeveless waist-length garment with buttons at the front, often worn under a suit jacketUS, Canadian, and Austral name: vest
- a man's garment worn under a doublet in the 16th century
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for waistcoat
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper