An undershirt in
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...
(vest in
British and
South African English, banyan in the
Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
, or singlet in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
), is an article of
underwear worn underneath a
dress shirt so as to protect it from body
sweat
Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals.
Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and Apocrine sweat gland, apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distribu ...
and
odors.
More generally, the term refers to an upper-body garment worn next to the skin (innerwear) by men.
It can have short
sleeves (
T-shirt) or be sleeveless (
A-shirt).
An undershirt may be worn to protect the body from stiff or otherwise uncomfortable fabric. It also makes dress shirts less
transparent, to reduce the amount of sweat absorbed by the shirt's fabric. It can be worn during winter months as an extra layer of warmth, and reduces wear on the upper layers of clothing.
History
Factory mass-produced undershirts became common in the West in the early 20th century, with innovations turning the
union suit into two pieces, for upper and lower body.
Types of undershirts
* A
sleeveless undershirt, also known as an A-shirt, tank top, has large armholes, a large neck hole, and offers little protection for armpit sweat.
* A
crew neck T-shirt has a high neckline, often requiring fully buttoned shirts to avoid being seen.
* A V-neck T-shirt has a V-shaped neckline.
* A long sleeved T-shirt has long sleeves, and may be designed with extra insulation for use in cool weather.
* A
camisole is an undershirt for women.
References
{{Men's undergarments
History of clothing (Western fashion)
Undergarments
Shirts