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undershirt

undershirt

13 1.0
A thin shirt without a collar worn under a shirt
  • noun
  • /ˈʌndərˌʃɜrt/
translation icon : camiseta interior
  • I always wear a cotton undershirt under my dress shirts to stay comfortable.

Examples

  • I'm not wearing an undershirt today.

  • The colonel was sitting in his undershirt under the wan electric lights, cigar dangling from his hand.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • All I have on is my undershirt.

  • What was that guy doing in his undershirt?

  • Now put on your undershirt.

  • Triple E took off his undershirt and made holes in it for the cat's legs.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • His workshirt hung over the back of his chair, leaving his white tank top undershirt exposed.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Hoffman was wearing only an undershirt and work pants, and his cell was small, empty, and chilly.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The old white Fruit of the Loom men's undershirt was decent and clean, but it was worn thin.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Polished lieutenant's insignia, beret on his shoulder, a white undershirt peeping through the opening of his snow-white shirt.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

vest
vsundershirt
  • UK
136 1.0

An undershirt worn next to the skin for warmth

is the general collarless undergarment used by any gender beneath shirts
tank top
vsundershirt
  • US
28 1.3

A tight shirt without sleeves that has wide shoulder straps

is mainly an inner collarless garment rather than commonly worn as outerwear
camisole
vsundershirt
9 4.2

A thin sleeveless top with narrow straps that women wear under clothes

is collarless and plain, not defined by thin decorative straps
singlet
vsundershirt
3 7.5

A tight sleeveless top worn under clothes or for sport

is the everyday collarless undergarment rather than primarily athletic wear
undervest
vsundershirt
  • UK
4.4

A thin top you wear under a shirt to keep you warm

is the typical collarless underlayer usually worn beneath outer shirts
underbodice
vsundershirt
  • Archaic
9.9

A short sleeveless piece of underwear women wear under clothes

is a broader upper undergarment not limited to short layered pieces

How Warm

long johns
6 2.4
sweater
421 1.0
undershirt
13 1.0
camisole
9 4.2

Surface Forms

undershirt singular
undershirts plural

Morphology

undershirt = shirt (transparent) = under + shirt

The meaning is directly predictable from 'under' + 'shirt' — a shirt worn under another shirt. [Postprocessing: moved 'under' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Undershirt comes from the parts under- meaning 'below' and shirt, so a helpful image is a shirt that lives under another shirt. So, an undershirt is a simple shirt worn beneath your outer shirt.