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corset

corset article of dress designed to support or modify the figure. Greek and Roman women sometimes wrapped broad bands about the body. In the Middle Ages a short, close-fitting, laced outer bodice or waist was worn. By the 16th cent. it had become a tight inner bodice, sometimes of leather, stiffened with whalebone, wooden splints, or steel; fashion demanded the slenderest possible waist in contrast with the enormous farthingales and stuffed breeches that were worn. Stays and tight lacing were made for both men and women from the 17th through the 19th cent., except for a brief period following the French Revolution. By 1900 the corset had become primarily a female garment, and it was gradually modified to conform to the natural lines of the body.

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corset

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

corset close-fitting body garment XIV; laced inner bodice, stays XVIII. — (O)F., dim. of cors body; see CORPSE, -ET.

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T. F. HOAD. "corset." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "corset." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (November 12, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-corset.html

T. F. HOAD. "corset." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-corset.html

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	'FIGHTING THE CORSETLESS EVIL': SHAPING CORSETS AND CULTURE, 1900-1930. Magazine article from: Journal of Social History; 12/22/1999
	Bound to Please: A History of the Victorian Corset. .(Book Review) Magazine article from: Journal of Social History; 6/22/2003
	Madonna Wears Period Corsets(R) to Grammys. Business Wire; 2/8/2006

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