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Webster 1913 Edition

Blouse

Blouse

(blouz; F. bloōz)
,
Noun.
[F.
blouse
. Of unknown origin.]
A light, loose over-garment, like a smock frock, worn especially by workingmen in France; also, a loose coat of any material, as the undress uniform coat of the United States army.

Definition 2024

blouse

blouse

See also: blousé

English

A blouse

Noun

blouse ‎(plural blouses)

  1. (fashion, obsolete) A shirt, typically loose and reaching from the neck to the waist.
  2. (fashion) A shirt for women, particularly a shirt with buttons; a dress shirt tailored for women.
  3. (military fashion) A loose-fitting uniform jacket.

Synonyms

  • bodice (also used for undershirts)

Hyponyms

Derived terms

  • deblouse

Translations

Verb

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

Derived terms

Anagrams

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: blou‧se

Noun

blouse f ‎(plural blouses, diminutive blouseje n)

  1. Alternative spelling of bloes

French

Etymology

1788, of obscure origin. Three theories include:

  • French blousse ‎(“scraps of wool”), from Occitan lano blouso ‎(“pure or short wool”), from blous, blos ‎(“pure, empty, bare”), from Old High German blōz "naked, bare" (German bloss "bare")
  • A conflation of the aforementioned and French blaude, bliaud ‎(“a kind of smock”), from Old French bliau, also from Frankish *blīfald ‎(“topcoat of scarlet colour”), from blī- "coloured, bright" + -fald ‎(“crease, fold”). More at blee, fold.
  • From Medieval Latin pelusia, from Pelusium, a city of Upper Egypt, a clothing manufacturer during the Middle Ages.

Pronunciation

Noun

blouse f ‎(plural blouses)

  1. uniform or coat with buttons down the front
    blouse d'hôpital — hospital gown

Related terms

Verb

blouse

  1. first-person singular present indicative of blouser
  2. third-person singular present indicative of blouser
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of blouser
  4. first-person singular present subjunctive of blouser
  5. second-person singular imperative of blouser

Anagrams

Norman

Noun

blouse f ‎(plural blouses)

  1. (Jersey) smock

Synonyms

Etymology

1828, from French blouse ‎(“a workman's or peasant's smock”), of obscure origin. Three theories include:

  • French blousse ‎(“scraps of wool”), from Occitan lano blouso ‎(“pure or short wool”), from blous, blos ‎(“pure, empty, bare”), from Old High German blōz "naked, bare" (German bloss "bare")
  • A conflation of the aforementioned and French blaude, bliaud ‎(“a kind of smock”), from Old French bliau, from Frankish *blīfald ‎(“topcoat of scarlet colour”), from blī- "coloured, bright" + -fald ‎(“crease, fold”). More at blee, fold.
  • From Medieval Latin pelusia, from Pelusium, a city of Lower Egypt, a clothing manufacturer during the Middle Ages.

More at blee, fold.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -aʊs
  • IPA(key): /blaʊs/, /blaʊz/
  • Rhymes: -aʊs, -aʊz

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