noun
bustle
A framework or padding worn to hold out the back of a skirt.
A padded bustle holds out the back of her Victorian skirt.
Etymology
The garment name has an uncertain origin. It first belongs to the history of padding and supports that push out the back of a skirt, with later frameworks serving the same shaping purpose.
More examples
- The costume designer adjusted the bustle beneath the dress.
- The gown's silhouette depended on a large bustle.
- The museum displayed several nineteenth-century bustles.
Forms
bustle · bustles
Similar words
- hoop skirt
- Supports a skirt more broadly around the body, rather than chiefly at the back.