waistcoat

Pronunciation

• enPR: wās(t)'-kōt, IPA^(key): /ˈweɪs(t)kəʊt/
• (old-fashioned) enPR: wĕs'kət, IPA^(key): /ˈwɛskət/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

waistcoat (plural waistcoats)

1. An ornamental garment worn under a doublet.
2. (chiefly Britain) A sleeveless, collarless garment worn over a shirt and under a suit jacket.^[1][2]
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:

     Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. […] A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.

A traditional waistcoat, to be worn with a two-piece suit or separate jacket and trousers

References