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nightgown

UK/ˈnaɪtˌɡaʊn/US/ˈnaɪtˌɡaʊn/
nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #6,024 of 15,258leans spoken

Other forms: nightgowns

A nightgown is a loose garment worn in bed by a woman. A long nightgown, a cotton nightgown, in her nightgown.

It is shortened to nightie in ordinary speech, and nightdress is the other British word. The word once covered a dressing gown as well, which is why old novels can be confusing about who is wearing what.

Monsieur Duroc · CC BY-SA 2.0

Definitions of nightgown

  1. 1nounnightgownA loose garment worn in bed by a woman.B2

    “She came downstairs in her nightgown and slippers to make a cup of tea.”

nightgown is a garment.

Where it comes from

Middle English nyght gowne is night plus gown.

  1. Middle English

    nyght gowne

  2. English, today

    nightgown

From Middle English nyght gowne. by surface analysis, en + night + gown.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

nightgown in the wild

  • The length of a nightgown may vary from hip-length to floor-length.

    Nightgown

  • A short nightgown can be called a "shortie" or a "babydoll", depending on the style.

    Nightgown

  • Like nightgowns, it is recommended to wear a robe or a dressing gown over them when expecting guests.

    Nightshirt

  • Contemporary peignoirs are usually sold with matching nightgown or panties.

    Peignoir

  • The Lanz flannel granny nightgown became a staple of women's nightwear in the late-1950s.

    Werner G. Scharff

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.