Lingerie exclusively for more lightweight items of female undergarments. The French word in its original form derives from the old French word "linge", meaning 'linen'. So "faire le linge", comes to mean "do the laundry". In French the word "lingerie" applies to all undergarments for either sex. In English it means women's underwear or nightclothes. Lingerie as a word was first used to refer to underwear and bras in 1922. Informal usage suggests visually appealing or even erotic clothing. Although most lingerie is designed to be worn by women, some manufactures now design lingerie for men. The concept of lingerie is
Clothing terminology the last few decades has "gown" lost this general meaning in favor of "dress". Today the term "gown" is rare except in specialized cases: academic dress or "cap and gown", evening gown, nightgown, hospital gown, and so on ("see" Gown). "Shirt" and "skirt" are originally the same word, the former being the southern and the latter the northern pronunciation in early Middle English. "Coat" remains a term for an overgarment, its essential meaning for the last thousand years ("see" Coat). Names for new styles or fashions in clothing are frequently the deliberate inventions of fashion designers or clothing manufacturers; these