Etymologically
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bra

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:29. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bɹɑː/[1]

Etymology

It is a shortening of brassiere.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

By 1923 in Etymonline;[2] the OED's first quotation is from 1936, and the New Oxford and Concise Oxford date it to the 1930s.[3][5][6]

Semantic evolution

Braless is a later derivative.[6][7] In North America a car bra or auto bra is a cover fitted over the front of a car.[5][8] A different bra, in quantum mechanics a vector paired with a ket, is from 1947, from bra(cket).[3][8] In South African slang bra is also a word for a friend or brother.[7]

Timeline

  • 1923 – bra, a brassiere.[2]
  • 1936 – first in the OED.[3]
  • 1947 – bra in quantum mechanics.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A woman's undergarment worn to support the breasts; a brassiere.

Word family

  • braless
  • bra burner

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press