Stomacher
/ˈstʌm.ə.kər/noun
A decorative V-shaped panel or covering worn over the front of a woman’s bodice, especially in the 16th to 18th centuries.
Did you know?Stomacher comes from the same root as stomach, and in Middle English it could mean a garment worn over the stomach—proof that clothing vocabulary often starts in the body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*steh₂-
“to stand, make firm”
Latin
Latin
stomachus
“the stomach; also appetite, inclination”
Old French
Old French
estomac
“stomach; breast; appetite”
Middle English
English
stomacher
“a covering or garment for the stomach or chest”
Modern English
English
stomacher
“a decorative front panel worn on a bodice”
Explore more surprising origins