Lingerie (UK: /ˈlændʒ.ər.i/, US: /ˌlɑːndʒ.əˈreɪ/) are undergarments marketed to women.
Lingerie may include undergarments incorporating flexible, stretchy, sheer, or decorative materials like Lycra, nylon (nylon tricot), polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric or simply be functional, cotton or synthetic undergarments.
The term in the French language (French pronunciation: [lɛ̃.ʒʁi]) applies to all undergarments for either gender. In English it is usually applied only to women's undergarments, and may have the connotation of items considered to be visually erotic.
Etymology
The word derives from the French word linge, "washables"—as in faire le linge, "do the laundry"—and ultimately from lin for washable linen, the fabric from which European undergarments were made before the general introduction of cotton from Egypt and then from India. It is commonly pronounced in English with a faux French pronunciation, such as /ˈlɒnʒəriː/ in Britain or /lɒnʒərˈeɪ/ in the doubly non-French American pronunciation. The true French pronunciation is [lɛ̃ʒʁi].
Lingerie may include undergarments incorporating flexible, stretchy, sheer, or decorative materials like Lycra, nylon (nylon tricot), polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric or simply be functional, cotton or synthetic undergarments.
The term in the French language (French pronunciation: [lɛ̃.ʒʁi]) applies to all undergarments for either gender. In English it is usually applied only to women's undergarments, and may have the connotation of items considered to be visually erotic.
Etymology
The word derives from the French word linge, "washables"—as in faire le linge, "do the laundry"—and ultimately from lin for washable linen, the fabric from which European undergarments were made before the general introduction of cotton from Egypt and then from India. It is commonly pronounced in English with a faux French pronunciation, such as /ˈlɒnʒəriː/ in Britain or /lɒnʒərˈeɪ/ in the doubly non-French American pronunciation. The true French pronunciation is [lɛ̃ʒʁi].