See Also: bodice(medicine)
bodice(dictionary)
bodice(dictionary)

bodice (iou)



bodice noun. Orig. bodies pl. M16.
[Pl. of BODY noun, retaining earlier unvoiced sound of -S1 (cf. DICE noun).]
The upper part of a woman's or girl's dress down to the waist; spec. the part covering the upper body (excluding sleeves); a (usu. sleeveless) undergarment for the upper body. M16.
liberty bodice, petticoat bodice, Watteau bodice, Zouave bodice, etc.
Hist. pl. More fully pair of bodice. A whalebone corset for the upper body. E17.
Comb.: bodice-ripper colloq. a sexually explicit romantic (esp. historical) novel or film with seduction of the heroine.