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Glite Dictionary
bush jacket

bush jacket

6.2
A loose jacket like a shirt with four pockets and a belt that people wear in hot places
  • noun
  • /bʊʃ ˈdʒækɪt/
  • UK
translation icon : chaqueta de safari
  • During the safari, Sarah chose to wear her comfortable bush jacket for extra storage.

Examples

  • Stuck in his belt, under his wrinkled bush jacket, was a short-bladed hunting knife he carried in these parts of the world.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Except the picture was now in the pocket of his bush jacket.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Wear a bush jacket en route.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Michael nodded and put the photo back in his bush jacket.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • He wore a khaki bush jacket with multiple pockets while hiking in the heat.

  • The explorer packed essentials in the pockets of his bush jacket before setting out.

Surface Forms

bush jacket singular
bush jackets plural

Morphology

bush + jacket

The compound 'bush jacket' transparently signals a type of jacket associated with the 'bush' (outdoor/wild areas), so a B1 learner who knows 'bush' and 'jacket' can infer it is an outdoor/field-style jacket. However, the precise stylistic details (four patch pockets, belt, loose-fitting shirt-like cut, use in hot climates) are not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so full meaning requires some cultural or lexical knowledge.

Etymology

Bush jacket comes from clothes made for the bush, meaning 'wild country', and the jacket part shows it is a light outer garment. These jackets had four big pockets and a belt to carry tools and stay cool, so today bush jacket means a loose, shirt-like jacket with pockets and a belt for hot climates.