Juste-au-corps
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A tight, knee-length men's coat worn in the late 17th and early 18th century. historical
"Under a full dress coat […] appeared a waistcoat of glod-flowered brocade, the flaps reaching to his knees, and made, I am persuaded, in the reign of Louis ci-devant le Grand.—What appeared of his breeches, under this magnificent juste au-corps, was of red velveret, forming a happy contrast to a pair of black worsted stockings."
- 2 A tight women's riding coat of the late 17th and early 18th century. historical
- 3 Any tight-fitting garment, specifically a coat or waistcoat, of the second half of the 17th century. historical
Example
More examples"Under a full dress coat […] appeared a waistcoat of glod-flowered brocade, the flaps reaching to his knees, and made, I am persuaded, in the reign of Louis ci-devant le Grand.—What appeared of his breeches, under this magnificent juste au-corps, was of red velveret, forming a happy contrast to a pair of black worsted stockings."
Etymology
From French justaucorps.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.