Definitions
waistcoat
Etymology
About
The character "裲" is structured with the clothing radical "衣" on the left and the component "兩" on the right, the latter meaning "two" and indicating the garment's characteristic of covering both the front and back of the torso. Its etymology is directly tied to this dual coverage, as the character is almost exclusively employed in the historical compound "裲襠" to denote a type of sleeveless jacket or vest. The traditional form of the character retains this composition, and its meaning has remained specifically associated with this item of clothing without broadening or shifting to other semantic areas over time.