- published: 06 Jan 2011
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A teddy, also called a camiknicker, is a garment which covers a female's torso and crotch in the one garment. It is a similar style of garment to a one-piece swimsuit or bodysuit, but is typically looser and more sheer. The garment is put on by stepping into the leg holes and pulling the garment up to cover the torso. It may cover the whole of the torso or partially and may also cover the arms. They may open at the crotch for visits to the toilet, without the need to remove all clothing. As an undergarment, it combines the functions of a camisole and panties, and may be preferred to avoid a visible panty line. It is also found as lingerie.
A one-piece women's undergarment which combined a camisole and knickers appeared in the 1910s under the name envelope chemise or camiknickers. It was considered an appropriate garment to wear under the shorter dresses which came into fashion in the 1920s. The garment was also worn without an overgarment in the boudoir.
The style gained popularity during the World War II when women who served in military-related duties wore trousers instead of skirts. By the late 1940s the garment lost its popularity, but it re-appeared as a lingerie garment in the 1990s, under the name teddy or bodysuit.
Lingerie (UK /ˈlændʒ.ər.i/ or 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.
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 UK /ˈlɒnʒəriː/ or US /lɒnʒərˈeɪ/ in the doubly non-French American pronunciation. The true French pronunciation is [lɛ̃ʒʁi].