corset
n.a tight piece of clothing worn under a dress to make the waist look smaller. It was very common in the past and is usually stiffened with metal or plastic strips.
n.a close-fitting undergarment, stiffened with stays and tightened by lacing, designed to support or constrict the torso into a desired shape. Historically worn by women to achieve a narrow waistline, though modern versions appear in fashion and medical contexts.
“The actress wore a tight corset under her Victorian dress.”
“Historical dramas often require costume designers to recreate the restrictive corsets that defined nineteenth-century silhouettes.”
“While the corset is frequently critiqued as a symbol of historical female oppression, some fashion historians argue it also provided necessary structural support for heavy, multi-layered skirts.”
Often used with the verb 'to lace' or 'to tighten'.
“After delivering punchy renditions of new tracks Wink Wink, Yeah and Card Declined, she stepped out to change from a black sparkly blazer into a black corseted dress.”
“Alexandra had instructed the sisters to wear jewel-studded corsets in case of evacuation, and the force of the bullets may have propelled these diamonds and precious gems into the girls’ torsos.”
From Middle English corset, from Old French corset. Equivalent to corse + -et.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.