DictionaryRoot: -et
Old French
-et
small or lesser
Forms
- -et
- -ette — The corresponding feminine French form.
Origin
An Old French ending for smallness, continuing earlier Romance formations.
Note
Smallness can suggest affection or lesser importance, but those tones depend on the word.
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noun / verb
corset
KOR-sit/ˈkɔːrsɪt/
A close-fitting garment or brace that supports or shapes the torso.
Etymology
A diminutive of “body” named a bodice or close-fitting body garment. The meaning later narrowed to the stiff, constricting undergarment used to support the waist and shape the figure.
Related word entries
- baronet
- blanket
- bouquetDistinctive scent
- bouquetFlower arrangement
- bracelet
- brevet
- closet
- cornet
- coronet
- corset
- crotchet
- doubletMatching pair
- doubletHistorical jacket
- dulcet
- filet
- fillet
- gibbet
- gobbet
- goblet
- gullet
- jacketOuter garment
- jacketOfficial file
- locket
- mallet
- millet
- motet
- packet
- pallet
- parquetMain-floor theater seating
- parquetPatterned wood flooring
- plummetMeasuring weight
- plummetRapid fall
- russet
- signet
- socket