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The Fashionable History of Bodice
The term bodice is derived from body. One sense of the word body is “the part of a garment covering the body or trunk.” In the 17th and 18th centuries a woman’s corset was often called a “pair of bodies.” The plural bodies, or bodice, was eventually interpreted as a singular. Bodice is now most often used to refer to the upper part of a woman’s dress.
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Examples of bodice in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The breezy style has a self-tie belt, a semi-fitted bodice, and a flowy skirt with an ankle-length hem.
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Ali Faccenda, People.com, 23 May 2025
The actress wore a sleeveless dress with semi-sheer fabric at the bodice and an asymmetrical design that included black and dark brown colorblocking.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 21 May 2025
Sometimes the truth is impossible as a bodice Spilling over with boobs, it just can’t be contained.
—Jane Yeh, The New York Review of Books, 8 May 2025
Back then, adorned with a classic big black bow, her hair reached her twill shoulders with the ends curled like the bodice of a ribbon.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 16 May 2025
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Ali Faccenda, People.com, 23 May 2025
The actress wore a sleeveless dress with semi-sheer fabric at the bodice and an asymmetrical design that included black and dark brown colorblocking.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 21 May 2025
Sometimes the truth is impossible as a bodice Spilling over with boobs, it just can’t be contained.
—Jane Yeh, The New York Review of Books, 8 May 2025
Back then, adorned with a classic big black bow, her hair reached her twill shoulders with the ends curled like the bodice of a ribbon.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bodice
Cite this Entry
“Bodice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bodice. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bodice
noun
bod·ice
ˈbäd-əs 
: the upper part of a dress
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