chemise

See also: chemisé

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ʃəˈmiːz/, /ʃəˈmiːs/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ʃəˈmiːz/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (General American):

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• Rhymes: -iːz

Noun

chemise (plural chemises)

1. (historical) A loose shirtlike undergarment, especially for women.
2. A short nightdress, or similar piece of lingerie.
3. A woman's dress that fits loosely; a chemise dress.
4. A wall that lines the face of a bank or earthwork.

Derived terms

• chemiloon
• chemise cagoule
• chemised
• chemise lifter
• chemisette

Related terms

• camis
• shimmy

Translations

a loose-fitting undergarment

• Bulgarian: женска риза f (ženska riza)
• German: Unterhemd (de) n
• Latin: interula f
• Māori: henui
• Polish: halka (pl) f
• Welsh: crys (cy) m

short nightdress

• Finnish: yöpaita (fi), paituli (fi)
• French: chemise de nuit (fr) f, nuisette (fr) f
• German: Nachthemd (de) n
• Japanese: シュミーズ (shumīzu), シミーズ (shimīzu)
• Māori: henui
• Russian: (же́нская OR ночна́я) соро́чка (ru) f (soróčka)

Anagrams

• schemie

Dutch

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French chemise. Doublet of hemd and kamisa.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

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Noun

chemise f (plural chemises, diminutive chemisetje n)

1. chemise (garment)

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃə.miz/

• Audio; “une chemise”:

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• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

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• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Audio (France):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Audio (France (Agen)):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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• Homophones: chemisent, chemises

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French chemise, from Late Latin camisia, from Proto-West Germanic *hamiþi (“shirt”).

Noun

chemise f (plural chemises)

1. shirt (that opens in the front)
2. folder (office supplies)
3. chemise (wall-enforcing earthwork)

Usage notes

Chemise is usually translated as "shirt," but refers only to a shirt that opens at the front. A shirt pulled over the head is a chandail.

Derived terms

• changer d'avis comme de chemise
• chemise brune
• chemise de nuit
• chemise noire
• comme cul et chemise
• en bras de chemise
• retourner sa chemise
• se moquer comme de sa première chemise de
• surchemise

Descendants

• Antillean Creole: chimiz
• Guianese Creole: chimiz
• Haitian Creole: chemiz
• Karipúna Creole French: ximiz
• Louisiana Creole: chimiz, chimij, chmiz, chimiy, chmij
• Seychellois Creole: simiz, cemiz
• → Dutch: chemise
• → English: chemise
• → Japanese: シュミーズ (shumīzu)
• → Ladino: shemiz
• → Neapolitan: scemisse
• → Scots: chemeis
• → Spanish: chemi
• → Vietnamese: sơ-mi
• → Yemeni Arabic: شميز

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

chemise

1. inflection of chemiser:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “chemise”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Old French

Alternative forms

• cemise, chemes, chamisae

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin camisia.

Noun

chemise oblique singular, f (oblique plural chemises, nominative singular chemise, nominative plural chemises)

1. shirt; overshirt

Descendants

• Champenois: cheminge, cheminze
• Franc-Comtois: tchemise
• Gallo: chminzz
• French: chemise
  • Antillean Creole: chimiz
  • Guianese Creole: chimiz
  • Haitian Creole: chemiz
  • Karipúna Creole French: ximiz
  • Louisiana Creole: chimiz, chimij, chmiz, chimiy, chmij
  • Seychellois Creole: simiz, cemiz
  • → Dutch: chemise
  • → English: chemise
  • → Japanese: シュミーズ (shumīzu)
  • → Ladino: shemiz
  • → Neapolitan: scemisse
  • → Scots: chemeis
  • → Spanish: chemi
  • → Vietnamese: sơ-mi
  • → Yemeni Arabic: شميز
• Norman: queminse (continental Normandy), qu'minse, ch'minse (Guernsey), c'mînse (Jersey)
• Walloon: tchimijhe