Stomacher
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A type of men's waistcoat. obsolete
- 2 garment consisting of a V-shaped panel of stiff material worn over the chest and stomach in the 16th century wordnet
- 3 An ornamental cloth, often embellished with embroidery or jewelry, worn over the chest by women beneath their bodices or by men and women as the central part of an open shirt, blouse, or jacket. historical
"And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher [translating פְּתִיגִיל] a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty."
- 4 A similar item of mail worn over and protecting the stomach.
"Over it he placed a chain mail stomacher. Then, atop all, he strapped on an item of shaped metal he called a tace. “There,”he said at last. “She might knock the windout of you, but she won't kill you.”"
- 5 A blow to the stomach.
"Thomas resenting such ungenerous behaviour, bestowed such a stomacher upon the officious intermeddler, as discomposed the whole œconomy of his entrails, and obliged him to discharge the interjection ah! with demonstration of great anguish and amazement."
Example
More examples""For my part," said the elder, "I will wear my red velvet suit with French trimmings." "And I," said the younger, "shall wear my usual skirt; but then, to make amends for that, I will put on my gold-flowered mantle, and my diamond stomacher, which is far from being the most ordinary one in the world.""
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English stomakere, stomachere, perhaps after Anglo-Norman *estomachier. Equivalent to stomach + -er.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.