cami
UK[ˈkæmi]US[ˈkæmi]
n
A short, sleeveless undergarment for women, typically worn under a sheer blouse or dress.
Etymology
The word 'cami' is a 20th-century English shortening of 'camisole', which entered English from French in the 19th century. The French 'camisole' itself derives from Italian 'camiciola', a diminutive of 'camicia', meaning 'shirt'. This Italian term traces back to Late Latin 'camisia', a word for a shirt or tunic, which is believed to be of Celtic origin. The journey from a general term for a shirt to a specific, modern undergarment illustrates a common pattern of semantic narrowing in fashion terminology.
Analysis
This word is a loanword and is not productively formed from separable English morphemes. It is a clipping of the French word 'camisole'.
Examples
She chose a lace-trimmed cami to wear under her silk blouse.
The camisole top evolved into the shorter, more casual cami.
A basic black cami is an essential item in many wardrobes.