What does "lingerie" mean?

1. (underwear) women's underwear or nightclothes, often made of lace or silk. 2. (linen goods) an old word for items made of linen, such as shirts or sheets.

How do you use "lingerie"?

Usually found in historical texts or when discussing the etymology of the modern word.

lingerie

US //ˈɫɑnʒɝˌeɪ// UK //lˈɒnʒəɹˌi// lin·gerie

1 underwear (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

women's underwear or nightclothes, often made of lace or silk.

women's undergarments or nightwear, particularly those designed for aesthetic appeal or made from delicate fabrics. Uncountable in usage.

Example

The shop on the corner sells expensive silk lingerie and nightgowns.

Example

The boutique specialises in handmade lace lingerie, catering to a luxury market that values traditional craftsmanship over mass-produced garments.
- underwear
- undergarments
- nightwear
2 linen goods (n.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic

an old word for items made of linen, such as shirts or sheets.

linen goods collectively, including underclothing and household linens. This sense is largely obsolete in modern general-service English.

Example

In the old inventory, the word lingerie referred to all the family's linen sheets.

Example

Historical records from the nineteenth century often use the term lingerie to describe the entire stock of a linen draper's shop.

Usage

Usually found in historical texts or when discussing the etymology of the modern word.
- linens

Origin

Borrowed from French lingerie (“linen closet”). The irregular pronunciation is a hyperforeignism; it may derive from the frequent shift of /ɛ̃/ (which is this word's first vowel in standard French) toward /ɑ̃/ or [æ̃] in European French, which also tends to be drifted towards /ɔ̃/.