What does "tea-gown" mean?

A loose-fitting semiformal gown, made of light fabrics, worn in the late 19th and early 20th century for entertaining, especially for afternoon tea.

What is a synonym for "tea-gown"?

Common synonyms include: tea dress.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A loose-fitting semiformal gown, made of light fabrics, worn in the late 19th and early 20th century for entertaining, especially for afternoon tea.
"Eve crushed in a corner, a sorrowful, dainty shape in the silk and lace of her pretty tea-gown, with the white drawn face of a scared child […]"

"Eve crushed in a corner, a sorrowful, dainty shape in the silk and lace of her pretty tea-gown, with the white drawn face of a scared child […]"

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.