Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

waistcoat

/ˈweɪs(t)kəʊt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.66 in modern English

Syllables: waist-coat
IPA: /ˈweɪs(t)kəʊt/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An ornamental garment worn under a doublet.

noun

A sleeveless, collarless garment worn over a shirt and under a suit jacket.

British usage

Example Sentences

"Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes."
"In the Victorian Era, exposing your shirtfront in public was considered improper, as shirts were viewed as undergarments. Waistcoats concealed this and helped [to] tame oversized, billowy shirts."

Etymology

From waist + coat. Compare Yola wauscoat, wazcoote.

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

waistcoats (plural)

Derived Forms

bewaistcoated straitwaistcoat waistcoated waistcoateer waistcoating waistcoatless

Phrases

shawl waistcoat

Frequently Paired Words

gilet

Synonyms

vest

Questions

How do you pronounce waistcoat?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈweɪs(t)kəʊt/.
What does waistcoat mean?: An ornamental garment worn under a doublet.
Where does waistcoat come from?: From waist + coat. Compare Yola wauscoat, wazcoote.

How to pronounce waistcoat

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “waistcoat”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈweɪs(t)kəʊt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “waistcoat”.
Repeat and practice — Say “waistcoat” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.