Etymologically
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underwear

Etymology and origin of the English word underwear

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1870
Ultimate origin
English (wear)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈʌn.də.weə/, US /ˈʌn.dɚ.wer/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of under and wear (noun), so called because it is worn under one's clothing.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Undergarments, underclothes in general: 1870 in Merriam-Webster, 1872 in Etymonline and the OED.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The Century Dictionary (1891) labelled it “a trade term”.[2] The OED also records the sense of the wearing of underclothes.[4]

Timeline

  • 1870 – underwear.[3]
  • 1872 – first OED quotation.[4]
  • 1891 – called a trade term.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Clothes worn under other clothes, next to the skin; underclothes.

Word family

  • long underwear
  • thermal underwear

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Underwear.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/underwear. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·