vest
pronunciation
How to pronounce vest in British English:
UK [vest]
How to pronounce vest in American English:
US [vest]
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- Noun:
- a man's sleeveless garment worn underneath a coat
- a collarless men's undergarment for the upper part of the body
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- Verb:
- provide with power and authority
- place (authority, property, or rights) in the control of a person or group of persons
- become legally vested
- clothe oneself in ecclesiastical garments
- clothe formally; especially in ecclesiastical robes
Word Origin
- vest
- vest: [17] Vest was originally used fairly generally for a ‘robe’ or ‘gown’. Its earliest specific application was to a ‘sleeveless jacket worn under an outer coat’. It was Charles II of England who introduced the fashion, and the first reference to vest in this sense is in Samuel Pepy’s diary for 8 October 1666: ‘The King hath yesterday, in Council, declared his resolution for setting a fashion in clothes … It will be a vest, I know not well how; but it is to teach the nobility thrift’.The direct descendant of this is American English vest for ‘waist-coat’. The British application of the word to an undergarment for the upper part of the body did not emerge until the 19th century. The word came via French veste and Italian veste from Latin vestis ‘clothing, garment’. This went back to the Indo- European base *wes-, which also produced English wear.The derived Latin verb vestīre originally meant ‘clothe’, and hence ‘induct into an office by dressing in the appropriate garments’. It has given English its verb vest [15], as well as divest [17] and invest. Other English words from the same source include travesty, vestment [13], vestry [14], and vesture [14].=> divest, invest, travesty, vestry, wear
- vest (v.)
- early 15c., "to put in possession of a person," from Old French vestir "to clothe; get dressed," from Medieval Latin vestire "to put into possession, to invest," from Latin vestire "to clothe, dress, adorn," related to vestis "garment, clothing," from PIE *wes- (4) "to clothe" (see wear (v.)). Related: Vested; vesting.
- vest (n.)
- 1610s, "loose outer garment" (worn by men in Eastern countries or in ancient times), from French veste "a vest, jacket" (17c.), from Italian vesta, veste "robe, gown," from Latin vestis "clothing," from vestire "to clothe" (see vest (v.)). The sleeveless garment worn by men beneath the coat was introduced by Charles II in a bid to rein in men's attire at court, which had grown extravagant and decadent in the French mode. The King hath yesterday, in Council, declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes .... It will be a vest, I know not well how; but it is to teach the nobility thrift. [Pepys, "Diary," Oct. 8, 1666] Louis XIV of France is said to have mocked the effort by putting his footmen in such vests.
Example
- 1. This doggie vest is so cute that it 's almost unfair .
- 2. Your outer layer should be a breathable , wind - and water-resistant jacket or vest .
- 3. Forgoing a white coat in favor of a plaid vest , henry wilde strolls through a bright waiting room in the institute and chats in gruff thai with the smiling white-capped nurses on duty .
- 4. And some wall street firms are beginning to shift away from short-term compensation toward restricted stock and other pay that takes time to vest .
- 5. The suits have been replaced by shorts and t-shirts , the flowing summer dresses by leggings and vest tops .