swimsuit

/swim"sooht'/, n.

See bathing suit.

[1925-30; SWIM + SUIT]

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▪ garment

also called  Bathing Suit,  

      garment designed for wearing while swimming. Sea bathing became popular in the mid-19th century when railroads first made it possible for people to get to the beach for their vacations. The first swimsuits concealed most of the body: women wore bloomers, black stockings, and a dress with short sleeves and skirt; men wore a dark-coloured, one-piece, sleeveless garment reaching to the ankles or knees. By the early 20th century, however, men had begun to wear shorts without a top. As early as 1900 Annette Kellerman, an American swimmer, wore a loose, one-piece wool bathing suit that by about 1910 became generally acceptable for the public. A clinging one-piece swimsuit for women was introduced in France after World War I, and other swimsuit accessories were abandoned.

      In about 1935 women began to wear a two-piece suit consisting of a top and shorts. In 1947 the bikini, consisting of an abbreviated top and brief pants, came into fashion. Modern women's swimsuits vary in style from one- or two-piece garments to suits with skirts, but to facilitate swimming they are made of fabrics that do not sag or balloon in the water.

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