Bras Is the Plural of a Word Cut From French
Bras is the plural of bra. The full word was brassiere, borrowed from French with a meaning it never had there.
Bras is the plural of *bra*, a woman's undergarment supporting the breasts. The full form *brassiere* was taken from French around 1900, but French *brassière* means a child's vest or a shoulder strap, from *bras*, an arm. English gave a French word a meaning it does not carry in French — modern French uses *soutien-gorge*, literally a throat support. The short form *bra* took over in the 1930s.
- Plural of bra. *Two bras.*
- Brassiere — the full form. *A brassiere.*
- French — *bras*, an arm. *The root.*
- Soutien-gorge — the actual French word. *Soutien-gorge.*
- Shortened 1930s. *Bra.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bra | A bra. |
| Plural | bras | Bras. |
| Full form | brassiere | A brassiere. |
| French | bras | An arm. |
| French | soutien-gorge | A bra. |
- She packed three bras.Plural.
- The word came from French.Etymology.
- French says soutien-gorge.Comparison.
French words English uses wrongly
- Brassiere — a child's vest in French
- Entrée — a starter in France, a main course in America
- Nom de plume — invented in English, not used in French
- Double entendre — no longer current French
- Chef — simply means chief or head in French
Short for *brassiere*, from French *brassière*, a child's vest, from *bras*, an arm, from Latin *bracchium*.
Do the French say brassiere?
Not for this garment. French brassière means a child's vest. The garment is a soutien-gorge.
When was bra shortened?
The short form spread in the 1930s and had largely replaced brassiere in ordinary use by mid-century.