ENGLISH
REFERENCE

shirt

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈʃɝt// UK //ʃˈɜːt// shirt General-service

n. a piece of clothing you wear on the top half of your body. It usually has a collar, buttons down the front, and either long or short sleeves.

n. a garment for the upper body, typically made of cotton or a similar fabric, featuring a collar and a vertical opening with buttons. Often distinguished from a T-shirt by its structured collar and formal appearance.


SIMPLE

He wears a white shirt to work every day.

CONTEXTUAL

I need to iron my blue shirt before the job interview tomorrow morning.

COMPLEX

The tailor recommended a high-thread-count cotton for the bespoke shirt to ensure it remained breathable yet crisp throughout the summer wedding.

Etymology 1

From Middle English sherte, shurte, schirte, from Old English sċyrte (“a short garment; skirt; kirtle”), from Proto-West Germanic skurtijā, from Proto-Germanic skurtijǭ (“a short garment, skirt, apron”), from *skurtaz (“short”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Schoarte (“apron”), Dutch schort (“apron”), German Schürze (“apron”), Danish skjorte (“shirt”), Norwegian skjorte (“shirt”), Swedish skjorta (“shirt”), Faroese skjúrta (“shirt”), Icelandic skyrta (“shirt”). Doublet of skirt via Old Norse; further related to short.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sherten, shirten (also shorten), from the noun (see above).

Idioms4 entries

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