Meanings
plural chemises
- historicalA loose shirtlike undergarment, especially for women.
Then he touched her chemise, and though it was made of burlap, to him it seemed the finest and sheerest silk.
Part 1 published in 1605, Part 2 in 1615, translated in 2003, Miguel de Cervantes and translated by Edith Grossman, Don Quixote, page 113 - A short nightdress, or similar piece of lingerie.
- A woman's dress that fits loosely; a chemise dress.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱam-“cover, clothes”
- Proto-West Germanic*hamiþi“shirt”
- Late Latincamisa
- Old Frenchchemise
- Frenchchemise
- Englishchemise
From French chemise, from Old French chemise, from Late Latin camisa, camisia ("shirt, undergarment, nightgown"; whence Old English cemes (“shirt”)), from Proto-West Germanic *hamiþi (“shirt”) (whence Old English hemeþe, Old High German hemidi, modern German Hemd (“shirt”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱam- (“cover, clothes”). Cognate also with Saterland Frisian Hoamd (“shirt”), Dutch hemd (“shirt”), Old English ham (“undergarment”), hama (“covering, dress, garment”). See also shimmy, from a dialectal variant. More at hame.
More words from French, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish yöpaita, paituli
- yöpaitashort nightdress
- paitulishort nightdress
French chemise de nuit, nuisette
- chemise de nuitshort nightdress
- nuisetteshort nightdress
German Unterhemd, Nachthemd
- Unterhemda loose-fitting undergarment
- Nachthemdshort nightdress
Japanese シュミーズ, シミーズ
- シュミーズ (shumīzu)short nightdress
- シミーズ (shimīzu)short nightdress
Latin interula
- interulaa loose-fitting undergarment
Māori henui, henui
- henuia loose-fitting undergarment
- henuishort nightdress
Polish halka
- halkaa loose-fitting undergarment
Russian соро́чка
- соро́чка (soróčka)short nightdress
Spanish camisón, chemise
- camisónshort nightdress
- chemiseshort nightdress
Welsh crys
- crysa loose-fitting undergarment
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with chemise
Cite this entry
chemise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemise
“chemise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemise. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chemise,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemise.
Source: chemise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.