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Glite Dictionary
stays

stays

9.9
A close-fitting piece of underwear for women that shapes the torso and sits under a dress, often in the past
  • noun
  • /steɪz/
  • Archaic
translation icon : corsé
  • The museum displayed several antique stays that illustrated the evolution of women's undergarments.

Examples

  • Almost all of the early bodies and stays, they're from lacing, right?

  • Yeah, because stays are more valuable to us.

  • Victorian women often wore stays under their dresses to create a smooth silhouette.

  • Her dress was beautifully tailored, and she wore traditional stays to enhance its shape.

Synonyms

corset
vsstays
34 5.8

A tight piece of underwear women wear to shape and support the torso

is an earlier, stiffer garment usually reinforced with whalebone
girdle
vsstays
  • Archaic
17 7.0

A tight piece of underwear worn around the waist to shape the body

is designed for the full torso and is stiffer and more structural
foundation
vsstays
15 6.6

A woman's underwear that shapes and supports the body under clothes

is an earlier, rigid torso shaper rather than a general support piece
foundation garment
vsstays
1 6.9

A piece of clothing women wear under dresses to shape or support their body

is a specific, earlier stiff form used to shape the torso

Idioms

the family that lays together stays together
9.9

Families stay close and strong by spending time together

How Restrictive

stays
  • Archaic
9.9
cincher
1 7.2
corset
34 5.8
bodice
21 6.7
brassiere
21 4.2

Surface Forms

stay singular
stays plural

Morphology

stays = stay (transparent) = stay + s

A regular plural formation from the singular noun 'stay'; the meaning as multiple garments is directly derived by adding the plural suffix.

Etymology

The word stays comes from the old word stay, which meant 'support' or 'prop'. They had stiff rods that helped 'support' the body, so stays are literally body 'supports' that shape the torso.