corset
n. countablen. 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.
From Middle English corset, from Old French corset. Equivalent to corse + -et.
Often used with the verb 'to lace' or 'to tighten'.