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corset

Etymology and origin of the English word corset

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English corset

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɔː(ɹ).sɪt/[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English,[2][3] from Old French corset (“bodice, tunic”),[2][4][5][3][6] a diminutive of cors “body”,[2][4][5][3][6] from Latin corpus (“body”).[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A close-fitting body garment, especially a laced bodice worn as an outer garment by women in the Middle Ages (1299).[4][7]

Semantic evolution

From 1795 the word meant a stiff, closely fitting undergarment stiffened with whalebone and laced, worn chiefly by women to shape the figure.[4][5][7] Corsets fell out of fashion after the First World War;[5] Etymonline quotes Frederick Lewis Allen on the fall in corset sales in the 1920s.[5] From 1833 the word also meant a supporting garment worn for injury or weakness of the spine.[7] The verb, to dress in a corset, is from 1845,[3] and figuratively it means to restrict closely.[3][6][1]

Timeline

  • 1299 – a laced bodice.[4][7]
  • 1795 – a stiffened undergarment.[4][5][7]
  • 1829 – corseted.[5]
  • 1833 – a supporting garment for injury.[7]
  • 1845 – verb, to fit with a corset.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A close-fitting undergarment, often stiffened with stays and laced, worn to support and shape the waist, hips and bust.
  2. A close-fitting, often laced jacket or bodice worn in the Middle Ages.

Verb

  1. To enclose in a corset.
  2. To restrict or regulate strictly.

Word family

  • corsetless
  • corsetry
  • stays
  • bodice

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Corset.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/corset. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·