# What is underwear?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 23, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321 "2006-01-23T22:56:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/1 "2006-01-23T22:56:32Z")
To my mind, underwear is anything you wear under your clothes, right? Bras, panties, slips (does anyone wear slips any more?) camisoles, undershirts, girdles, underpants, maybe even socks.
Yet from context, some people seem to use the term underwear to refer exclusively to panties and underpants.
So, what’s underwear?
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/2 "2006-01-23T23:01:39Z")
To me it’s just briefs or boxers for men and panties/bras/girdles for women.
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### Author:  [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/3 "2006-01-23T23:04:39Z")
Kiwi here. I’d say underwear refers to anything worn under clothes.
Undies, on the other hand, refers to men’s or women’s knickers/panties.
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/4 "2006-01-23T23:14:55Z")
Underwear is…optional. 😃
OK, to me it’s underpants, and a bra if worn in conjunction with underpants.
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### Author:  [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/5 "2006-01-23T23:50:34Z")
Everything you said, except socks.
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/6 "2006-01-23T23:57:37Z")
Brit here: same as **MLS**. Not socks.
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/7 "2006-01-24T00:14:14Z")
Underwear are garments worn under clothing, often including those garments used to preserve modesty due to sheer clothing like chamisoles, or men’s undershirts, slips, half slips, girdles, garter belts etc. An exception occurs when referring to things meant to be shown off, like [this](http://www.gypsymoon.com/skirts/lace_petti.shtml), [this](http://www.gypsymoon.com/amybrownfaerywear/skirts_stripedpetti.php), or [these](http://www.gypsymoon.com/amybrownfaerywear/bloomers_pink.php) for example. Those are in a limbo, they aren’t meant to be worn alone, yet they are meant as show.
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### Author:  [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/8 "2006-01-24T00:28:24Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#):
>
> To my mind, underwear is anything you wear under your clothes, right? Bras, panties, slips (does anyone wear slips any more?) camisoles, undershirts, girdles, underpants, maybe even socks.
>
> Yet from context, some people seem to use the term underwear to refer exclusively to panties and underpants.
>
> So, what’s underwear?
In the Wanna household, we are kind of loose with the term. Mr. Wanna is known to annouce that he’s out of clean “underwear,” and I know that he means briefs. I usually refer to his briefs (and my own bikinis or whatnot)as “underpants.” (I don’t use the term “panties” - it sounds like a “baby-word” to me, like “tummy” and “grown-up” - but I digress.) But sometimes I’ll say “underwear” instead, because we both understand the term that way. I think it’s because I never have occasion to wash any of his clothing in the laundry with my bras, slips, camisoles (I don’t wear girdles). On the other hand, there are some of his clothes I can include in a load with my underpants. Also, I was his undershirts (which he doesn’t wear that often) in the same load as his underpants, so just saying “do I need to wash your underwear?” does the job.
If I go to a store and ask were I can find the “underwear,” I know I can find underpants, bras, camisoles & slips in the same general region, so that does the job, too - no real reason to be specific in that case.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/9 "2006-01-24T01:39:32Z")
Underwear are the garments worn to protect the outer clothes from bodily discharges.
At least that’s the functional _medical_ definition. Make of it what you will.
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### Author:  [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/10 "2006-01-24T01:43:46Z")
I’m thinking Victoria’s Secret has nothing to do with the medical definition. 😃
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### Author:  [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/11 "2006-01-24T02:10:37Z")
I use it like **YaWanna**. Certainly if my husband asked me “What’s that on your underwear?” I wouldn’t look at my socks. In the general sense, it includes bras for me, but I also use it specifically instead of boxers or panties.
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### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/12 "2006-01-24T02:12:07Z")
I would still say that VS is somehow relevant to “bodily discharges.” 😃
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### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/13 "2006-01-24T02:21:58Z")
I would never think of T-shirts or A-shirts as underwear because it’s quite common to wear them as outerwear.
Underwear is briefs.
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### Author:  [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/14 "2006-01-24T02:23:50Z")
on, my dear **FCM** , you have way too much time on your hands 😃
like **sandra\_nz** , I’ve always taken it to mean all undergarments, whereas “undies” specifically covers the “naughty bits”
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### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/15 "2006-01-24T02:30:59Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#):
>
> Underwear are the garments worn to protect the outer clothes from bodily discharges.
So, a bib is underwear?
You _do_ learn something new every day.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/16 "2006-01-24T02:38:00Z")
> [@Antigen](#):
>
> So, a bib is underwear?
>
> You _do_ learn something new every day.
OK, let me re-phrase that. Underwear are the garments worn to protect the person’s outer clothes from their own bodily discharges.
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### Author:  [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/17 "2006-01-24T03:27:25Z")
There’s a freaking medical definition of underwear?
there isn’t in nursing, which surprises me.
Do you have a cite?
(not being a jerk, just amazed that there is a def.)
I agree with the definition. Sadly, too much underwear today is worn as outerwear. What is next? Polar fleece under your T-shirt?
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/18 "2006-01-24T03:45:17Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#):
>
> There’s a freaking medical definition of underwear?
>
> there isn’t in nursing, which surprises me.
>
> Do you have a cite?
>
> (not being a jerk, just amazed that there is a def.)
>
> I agree with the definition. Sadly, too much underwear today is worn as outerwear. What is next? Polar fleece under your T-shirt?
As I said, it’s a _functional_ definition. Sort of like age + BUN = lasix dose, or the only good admission is a dead admission. It’s _Lore_, not science. 🆒
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### Author:  [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/19 "2006-01-24T04:04:54Z")
If I wear my panties on my head, then are they still underwear?
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-underwear/341321/20 "2006-01-24T05:11:27Z")
Are corsets and camisoles underwear?
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