chemise

IPA/ʃəˈmiːz/
KK[ʃəmˈiz]IPA/ʃəˈmiːz/

chemise — noun

  • chemisesingular
  • chemisesplural

1. a soft, loose-fitting piece of women's underwear that reaches from the shoulders

1.nounC2
Definition

a soft, loose-fitting piece of women's underwear that reaches from the shoulders down past the hips, often worn under a dress or as a nightgown.

Example

Sofia packed a silk chemise into her suitcase for the weekend trip to Paris.

collocation: silk chemise

The shop window displayed a lace chemise next to several matching robes.

collocation: lace chemise / matching robes

Common collocations
  • silk chemise
  • lace chemise
  • cotton chemise
  • linen chemise
  • wear a chemise
Synonyms
  • slip

    modern everyday word for the same garment

  • shift

    older or historical term, broadly overlapping

  • nightgown

    when the chemise is used for sleeping

Grammar Patterns

a/the chemise

Usage Note

Subject is usually a woman or a piece of historical clothing. The word is mostly found in fashion writing, historical descriptions, and high-end lingerie catalogues — daily English speakers say 'slip' or 'nightie' instead.

Common Mistakes

Faisal wore a chemise under his shirt.
Faisal wore an undershirt under his shirt.
chemise refers to women's underwear, not a man's vest.
I need to buy a new chemise to wear to the office.
I need to buy a new blouse to wear to the office.
a chemise is underwear, not outer office wear.

2. a simple unfitted dress whose fabric drops in a vertical line from the shoulder

2.nounC2
Definition

a simple unfitted dress whose fabric drops in a vertical line from the shoulder seam down to the knee or lower, with no shaping at the waist.

Example

Élise chose a black chemise for the gallery opening because the cut felt modern.

fashion context: chemise dress

The 1920s fashion magazine showed models in beaded chemises at evening parties.

historical: 1920s chemise dress

Common collocations
  • black chemise
  • beaded chemise
  • linen chemise
  • wear a chemise
Synonyms
  • shift dress

    near-equivalent everyday term in modern fashion writing

  • smock

    very loose pull-on dress, often work-related

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a/the chemise

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this is an outer dress meant to be seen, not underwear. The shape is the key signal — straight, unfitted, hanging from the shoulders. Common in fashion writing about the 1920s and in modern minimalist style.

Common Mistakes

Tariro wore a fitted chemise that hugged her waist.
Tariro wore a fitted dress that hugged her waist.
a chemise is loose and unfitted by definition; a fitted one is something else.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name a loose garment worn next to the skin, but each has its own home in modern English. 'Chemise' is the most formal and least common — readers meet it in fashion magazines, historical novels, and museum captions, rarely in daily speech. 'Slip' is the everyday word for the same undergarment a modern woman wears beneath a dress to stop static or smooth the line; ask any shop assistant for a slip and they will know what you mean. 'Shift' is older and broader: in historical writing it covers the same garment as chemise, while in modern fashion 'shift dress' has shifted to mean the outer dress in sense 2. 'Nightgown' narrows the meaning to sleepwear only — Henrik would buy his wife a nightgown for bed, but a chemise for an elegant gift.

chemise ↗slip ↗shift ↗nightgown ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • silk chemise
  • lace chemise
  • cotton chemise
  • linen chemise

Phrases

  • wear a chemise
  • slip on a chemise

Prepositions

  • chemise under (a dress)
  • chemise in (silk/cotton/linen)

Etymology

Late LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Borrowed into English from Old French 'chemise' in the early medieval period, the word goes back to Late Latin 'camisia' meaning a linen shirt worn next to the skin. The same Latin root spread across Europe, giving Italian 'camicia' and Spanish 'camisa', both meaning shirt. English narrowed the meaning over time so that today it refers almost exclusively to women's loose-fitting underwear or, by extension in fashion writing, to a loose unfitted dress with the same straight shape.