Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
gymslip

gymslip

1 9.8
A sleeveless dress with a pleated skirt that schoolgirls wear as a uniform
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɪm.slɪp/
  • Archaic
: túnica escolar
  • For the sports day, all the girls had to wear their gymslips along with their school blazers.

Examples

  • The students wore their gymslips proudly as part of their school uniform during gym class.

  • Her new gymslip was dark green with a pleated skirt, perfect for her school events.

  • They looked wrong on her when she first tried them on, wrong as a gymslip on a page three girl, but she was a good enough actress to get away with it.

    Fiction book (1996)

Surface Forms

gymslip singular
gymslips plural

Morphology

gymslip = gym + slip (transparent) = gym + slip

The word is a straightforward compound 'gym' + 'slip' meaning a slip worn for gym use; learners who know both base words can infer the sense.

Etymology

Gymslip joins gym (short for 'gymnasium', a 'place for exercise') and slip (a 'simple, light dress'). It was the light dress girls wore for gym class, so today it means the sleeveless school tunic often seen as part of a uniform.