bandeau n : an undergarment worn by women to support their breasts [syn: brassiere, bra] [also: bandeaux (pl)]

English

Etymology

From bandeau, from bandel, diminutive of bande ‘band’.

Pronunciation

/ˈbændəʊ/ (or as French, below) (UK)

Noun

1. A band for the hair.

   She wore a bandeau in her hair.

2. In the context of "medicine": A band.
3. A brassiere, especially when narrow or strapless; a top made from a narrow band of fabric.

Quotations

• 1998: AANS Publications Committee: Setti S. Rengachary, MD, and Edward C. Benzel, MD, Calvarial and Dural Reconstruction: Neurosurgical Topics

  The frontal bandeau is then elevated en bloc. A Bi on BC1 (Midas Rex) bit is used to create the osteotomies circumferentially.

• 1999: Bill C. Terry, Maxime Champy, Franz Härle, et al, Atlas of Craniomaxillofacial Osteosynthesis: miniplates, microplates, and screws

  The supraorbital bandeau is fixed to the nasal structure by a titanium [...]

  This bandeau is fixed by microplates. The median bone strip is fixed to the [...]

• 2002: Raoul d'Harcourt, Textiles of Ancient Peru and Their Techniques

  Fragment of a wool cap, of which only the bandeau is well preserved. It is made in square knotting in alternate directions (see Fig. 79).

French

Etymology

Old French bandel, diminutive of bande ‘band’.

Pronunciation

• /bɑ̃do/

Noun

1. headband, bandeau
2. bandage
3. blindfold

A bandeau is literally a "band", in French, worn around a woman's breasts. In the 1920s this referred to a simply shaped brassiere, usually of a soft fabric and delicate trimmings providing little support or shaping. It might even be made of an elastic material to flatten or suppress the breasts. When the "boyish" silhouette went out of fashion, the word "brassiere" or later "bra" became the term for more shapely support garments. By the 1950s, it came to refer to a structured outer garment worn around the breast area, following (or improving) the contours of the body, but still retaining a relatively simple circle or band shape, emphasizing the bare midriff. A bandeau top was usually worn as part of a swimwear or sportswear ensemble and paired with a cropped jacket or bolero, lending a glamorous or "fast" air to the wearer.

Variations and relatives

• A bandeau without shoulder straps is a torsolette
• A short bandeau is a Brassiere

Links

• Bandeau with Uplift

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