Blouse Definition

blouse

English

Etymology

1828, from French blouse (“a workman's or peasant's smock”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from French blousse (“scraps of wool used mostly for flannel”) from Occitan (lano) blouso (“pure or short (wool)”) from blous, blos (“pure, empty, bare”), of Germanic origin, from Old High German blōz "naked, bare" (German bloß "bare"), or a conflation of the aforementioned and French blaude, bliaud (“a kind of smock”) from Old French bliau, also of Germanic origin, from Frankish *blīfald (“topcoat of scarlet colour”) from blī- "coloured, bright" + -fald (“crease, fold”). More at blee, fold.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /blaʊs/, /blaʊz/
• Rhymes: -aʊs, -aʊz

Noun

blouse (plural blouses)

1. An outer garment, usually loose, that is similar to a shirt and reaches from the neck to the waist or below. Nowadays, in colloquial use, blouse refers almost always to a woman's shirt that buttons down the front.
2. (military) A loose-fitting uniform jacket.

Derived terms

• deblouse

Verb

to blouse (third-person singular simple present blouses, present participle blousing, simple past and past participle bloused)

1. To hang a garment in loose folds.
2. (military) To tuck one's pants/trousers (into one's boots).
   • 1989, Bernard C. Nalty, Strength for the Fight: A History of Black Americans in the Military, page 311

     An anonymous black soldier summed up his feelings by declaring, "If I fail to blouse my boots, or [if I] wear an Afro, I get socked. […] "

Antonyms

• (military): unblouse

Derived terms

• unblouse

Anagrams

• boules
• obelus

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio
  (file)

Noun

blouse f.

1. Alternative spelling of bloes.

French

Etymology

1788, of obscure origin. Perhaps from French blousse (“scraps of wool”) from Occitan lano blouso (“pure or short wool”) from blous, blos (“pure, empty, bare”), of Germanic origin, from Old High German blōz "naked, bare" (German bloss "bare"), or a conflation of the aforementioned and French blaude, bliaud (“a kind of smock”) from Old French bliau, also of Germanic origin, from Frankish *blīfald (“topcoat of scarlet colour”) from blī- "coloured, bright" + -fald (“crease, fold”). More at blee, fold.

Pronunciation

• audio
  (file)

Noun

blouse f. (plural blouses)

1. overall
2. coat (protective)

Related terms

• blouson

Anagrams

• boules

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