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chemise

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Searchable Lemmata: camisia (L), chemisia (L), cemes (OE), chemise (AF), chemise (ME), kemese (ME), chemeis (OScots), caimmse (Ir), camis (SG), camse (W), cams (Corn), chemise (MdE).
Alternate Forms: camisa, chemés, chemese, chemis, chemisce, chenese, kemes, kemese, kemse.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1a(n.) Garment; shirt. Often the term refers to an undergarment, sometimes worn during sleep. The senses overlap and attestations appear under more than one heading.(ante 700 still in current use)
1. Camisias vocari quod in his dormimus in camis, id est in stratis nostris. Femoralia appellata eo quod femora tegant. Ipsae et bracae, quod sint breves et verecunda corporis his velentur. [DOE ISID. Etym. (19,22,29)]
2. Camisa ham, cemes. [DOE ClGl 1 (Stryker) (0812 (835))]
3. Soðlice he sæde, þæt on þam timan, þe he mid his meder on cnihthade eardode, þonne wæs he ut agan of hire huse, he foroft butan his kemese & eac gelomlice butan his tunecan eft ham gecyrde. [DOE GD 1 (H) (0359 (9.67.32))]
4. [416] ... Hec subuncla: chemisce ... hic anulus: anel ... Hec armilla, Hec torques, bende d’or ... Hec crepita: bote ... Hec capa pl[u]vialis: cape a pluie ... Hec capa profilata, chape a porfil ... hec capa singularis: cape sengle ... Hec thiara: coife ... Hoc impedium: empeigne ... hee brace: brais et plr. hec saraballa -lorum et hoc femorale: famillares a moine ... hoc flameolum: hastecul ... hoc toreuma, lit urné ... [417] ... Hec superus et plr. hec supera: kevestron ... hec perizomata: quissel de brais Gloss. [AND TLL (i 416-417) ante 1300]
5. hec camisia: chemise ... hoc antepedale: avantpé ... hoc flammeum: bendel ... hoc sumentum: chauson, hic pecinus, idem ... hoc texale: quissel ... hoc inpedium, enpeigne ... [424.351] ... hec tricatura: tressure ... [424.357] ... hec fibula: tache Gloss. Found in a list of garments under the heading 'De vestibus thori vel lecti.' [AND TLL (i 424) ante 1300]
6. armilausia seirhe i camisia. [DOE CollGl 25 (014600 (146))]
7. robaverunt ... j chemisiam et j tunicam Legal. [DMLBS SelPlCrown (52) 1206]
8. [332va] ... Chauscez voz brais, soulers (ME shoos) & gans ... [332vb] ... les laniers que vous atache Les enchauncez sanz frounscer ... Vous avez la chemise (ME serke) & la cote ... Mettez (ME do on) le chaperon (ME hode), couvrez (ME hele) le chief ... Mon surkete (ME sourkote) & ma cloke (ME cloke) ...(citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [AND BIBB ((O) 332va-b) circa 1250]
9. His chemeis was of chambelote purpour broun(The DOST suggest 'chemeis' here is a substitution for chemer, chymer (ME chimer), a kind of loose upper robe) [DOST Hen. Fabl. (1342)]
10. a caimsie .i. lēine Gloss. [eDIL Corm. Y (235)]
11. Caímsi imbi & brat gelderg. Eo áirgit ina brot' Historic. [eDIL BDD2 (7600-01)]
12. a serke, camisia, interula, camisiola diminutivum Gloss. [DMLBS CathA (camisia, interula) circa 1483]
13. benedictionem ... B. Petri ... vobis direximus, id est camisia cum ornatura in auro una (Lit. Papae) Historic. The date assigned by Bede to this letter from Pope Boniface to King Edwin (625) is dubious; see D. P. Kirby, 'Bede and Northumbrian Chronology', EHR LXXVIII (1963): 514—27. [DMLBS BEDE (HE II 10) circa 625]
14. camisia sindonis vel serici vel bissi materiam sortiatur, vel saltem lini Gloss. [DMLBS NECKAM (Ut. 99) ante 1217]
15. robavit ei [Henrico] tunicam et pallium et camisiam suam ... j palium de haubergeto Accounts. [DMLBS CurR (II 180) 1203]
16. [burgenses de Caleys] se nudos usque ad camisiam et femoralia ... regi ... obtulerunt Historic. the date corresponds to the events described in this chronicle entry. [DMLBS J. READING (158) ante 1369]
17. tunica et linea stricta, id est camisia, totum corpus operiunt Other. worn by Jewish priest [DMLBS BEDE (Tab. 466b) ante 729]
c.f.: sark, armilausa
AF, Co, Ir, L, MdE, OE, OScots, SG, W.
Sex: Male, Female    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: Back, Chest, Entire Body.
1b(n.) Garment; woman's undergarment; woman's shirt or blouse (there may be some overlap with sense 1a or 1c).(circa 1170 still in current use)
1. La royne ert acoutee a l’esponde du lit, Sengle en sa chemise en un mantel samit Heroic, Romance. 'en sa chemise', literally 'in one's shift/underclothes' [AND Horn (921) circa 1170]
2. pallio rejecto sola camisia vestita sub ipsius se clamide totam toti conjungit Other. [DMLBS MAP NC (IV ii p. 180) ante 1210]
3. Ðe chire[che] cloðes ben to brokene ... Ðe corporeals sole and unshapliche; hire handcloðes and hire bord cloðes makede wite ... Ðe meshakele of medeme fustane ... Hire chemise smal and hwit ... and hire smoc hwit ... and hire winpel wit oðer maked geleu mid saffran(work: ?a1200) (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Trin.Hom. ((Trin-C B.14.52) 163) ante 1225]
4. Domine habent sepe ibi camisias subtiles, teristra, supara et pepla, gallice winples, ut dixi, et bliotas, penulas et campestria, gallice bifes, quia penula grossa vestis est, gallice pene. [AND TLL (1,215,8-10) circa 1246]
5. Quidam homines usurpant sibi officia mulierum, qui vendunt mappas et manutergia, lintheamina, et camisias et braccas, teristra, supara, staminas, et telas, pepla et flammeola. [AND TLL (1,199,12-14) circa 1246]
6. [416] ... Hec subuncla: chemisce ... hic anulus: anel ... Hec armilla, Hec torques, bende d’or ... Hec crepita: bote ... Hec capa pl[u]vialis: cape a pluie ... Hec capa profilata, chape a porfil ... hec capa singularis: cape sengle ... Hec thiara: coife ... Hoc impedium: empeigne ... hee brace: brais et plr. hec saraballa -lorum et hoc femorale: famillares a moine ... hoc flameolum: hastecul ... hoc toreuma, lit urné ... [417] ... Hec superus et plr. hec supera: kevestron ... hec perizomata: quissel de brais Gloss. [AND TLL (i 416-417) ante 1300]
7. His moder dremid ... Al the mikel water of Temis Rin in the bosem of hir kemes. [OED Metr Hom (124) circa 1325]
8. Ae dyuot hitheu a chamse sidan fflamgoch amdanei, a gordtorch rudeur am y mynwgyl y uorwyn. Arthurian, Romance. [GPC CO2 (18. 487-90) ante 1350]
9. pro factura camisiarum mulierum et puerorum de Lettowe Accounts. [DMLBS Ac. H. Derby (92) 1391]
10. Ouere þe water of Temse, þat frosen was iys, / Withouten kirtelle or kemse [[OF s'en va soul en sa chemyse], saue kouerchef alle bare vis. / To Walyngford scho wan, & þer scho left a while, Historic. Peter Langtoft's Chronicle, (as illustrated and improv'd by Robert of Brunne) from the death of Cadwalader to the end of K. Edward the First's reign. Transcrib'd, and now first publish'd, from a ms. in the Inner-Temple Library by Thomas Hearne, M.A. To which are added, besides a glossary and other curious papers, (1) A roll concerning Glastonbury abbey, being a survey of all the estates belonging to that house at the dissolution, taken by King Hen. the Eigth's order and for his use. (2) An account of the hospital of St. Mary Magdalen near Scroby in Nottinghamshire, by John Slacke, master of that hospital. (3) Two tracts by an anonymous author; the first relating to Roman antiquities, near Conquest in Somersetshire, the second concerning Stonehenge. Oxford, Printed at the Theater, 1725. Author: Peter, of Langtoft, d. 1307? [MED Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 ((Petyt 511) p.122) ante 1400]
L, ME, MdE.
Sex: Female    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: Back, Chest, Entire Body.
1c(n.) ; woman's gown or skirt (may be some overlap with senses 1a or 1b).(circa 1200 - circa 1300)
1. [82] ... estivale: estivur ... [83] ... jupa, vestis nuptialis: kemese ... [84.64] ... stragulata: gallice raee Gloss. [AND TLL (ii 82-84) circa 1200/1299]
AF; Primarily Gloss.
Sex: Female    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
1d(n.) Garment; mass garment; alb. Also, as 'mass kemes'.(ante 850 - ante 1300 ?)
1. cams : alb [LexP CV (CV 788?)]
2. [2] ... A mites & parures worldliche leafdis mahen inoh wurchen ... [6-7] ... Taueles ne forbeode ich nawt 3ef sum riueð surpliz oðer measse kemese; oþre riuunges ne riue ha nawt, nomeliche oueregede, bute for muche neode. Ecclesiastic/Regula. [MED Ancr. ((Corp-C 402) 216/2-7) circa 1230]
3. nomen uestis, caimmse Gloss. [eDIL Sg. (23 b 4) circa 850]
4. caimmse .i. ainmm lénead .i. a camisia banléni Gloss. [eDIL Thr. Ir. Gl. (10.30)]
c.f.: alb
ME.
Sex: Male    Use: Ecclesiastical    Ceremonial: Yes
Body Parts: Back, Chest, Shoulder(s).

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, Enters the languages of Britain from multiple sources on different occasions: from post-classical Latin camisia, from whence OE cemes (probably a650); some forms partly from AF chemés, kemese, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French chemise, 'linen undergarment' (c1000 as chamisae) and similar. Cf. Occitan camisa (first half of the 12th century), Catalan camisa, etc. In Old French, the form chamois is possibly of Gualish origin [Lambert, P. (1995)].
WF: Borrowed into the British Isles
Etym Cog: camisa (Sp), hems (OE), camisa (Occ).
References: Lambert, P. (1995)
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