Vest
/vɛst/noun
A sleeveless garment worn over a shirt or blouse, or a close-fitting undershirt in American English.
Did you know?Vest comes through French from Latin *vestis*, meaning “clothing” or “garment,” and that same ancient root also gave English words like *invest*, originally “to clothe in” authority or power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wes-
“to dress or clothe”
Latin
Latin
vestis
“clothing, garment”
Late Latin
Latin
vestire
“to clothe, dress”
Old French
OF
vestir
“to dress, clothe”
Middle English
English
vest
“a garment or outer covering”
Modern English
English
vest
“a sleeveless garment or undershirt”
Explore more surprising origins