Vest

This is called a waistcoat in the UK and many commonwealth countries, or a vest in the US.

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Encyclopedia

A vest is a garment covering the upper body. The term has different meanings around the world:

	Undershirt Undershirt An undershirt is an article of underwear worn underneath a shirt. This is to protect dress shirts from sweat and smells. It also makes dress shirts less transparent....   It is known as an undershirt in the US, vest in the UK and many commonwealth countries, and singlet in Australia, and is typically in the form of a T-shirt T-shirt A T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves....  or sleeveless top.
	Waistcoat Waistcoat A waistcoat is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a Coat as a part of most men's formal wear, and as the third piece of the three-piece male business suit....   This is called a waistcoat in the UK and many commonwealth countries, or a vest in the US. It is often worn as part of formal attire, or as the third piece of a lounge suit Suit (clothing) The man's suit of clothes is a set of garments which are crafted from the same cloth. The word suit derives from the French language suite, meaning "following", because the trousers and waistcoat follow the jacket's cloth and colour.... .
	Other sleeveless jackets Vest may refer to other outer garments, such as a sports tank top Tank top Tank top may refer to* Tank top , a type of sleeveless shirt* Tank top , also known as as a sweater vest... , or a padded sleeveless jacket popular for hunting Hunting Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to law.... , commonly known as a hunting vest. Another common variant is the fishing vest which carries a profusion of external pockets for carrying fishing tackle. The term jerkin Jerkin (garment) A jerkin is a man's short close-fitting jacket, made usually of light-colored leather, and without sleeves, worn over the doublet in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries....  is also used to refer to this sort of sleeveless outdoor coat.
	A sleeveless sweater (American English) or jumper (British English) This may also be called a pullover, sweater vest, or tank top (which may also refer to a type of sleveless shirt).
	Banyan Banyan (clothing) A banyan is a clothing worn by men in the 18th century influenced by Persian and Asian clothing.Banyan is also commonly used in present day Indian English to mean vest ....  :This Indian garment is commonly called a vest in Indian English Indian English Indian English comprises several dialects or varieties of English language spoken primarily in India, and by first-generation members of the Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin.... .

Etymology

The term vest derives from French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 veste, Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
 vesta, veste "robe, gown," and Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 vestis. The sleeveless garment worn by men beneath a coat may have been first popularised by King Charles II of England

Charles II of England

Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
, since a diary entry by Pepys

Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys, Fellow of the Royal Society was an English people Navy Board and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. Although Pepys had no maritime experience, he rose by patronage, hard work and his talent for administration, to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under James II of England....
 (October 8, 1666) records that "[t]he King hath yesterday, in Council, declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes.... It will be a vest, I know not well how; but it is to teach the nobility thrift."

See also

• Kutte
  Kutte
  
  A kutte is a type of vest commonly referred to in extreme metal subcultures as a "battle jacket". It originated in the Motorcycle club subculture, and has found popularity in the Punk fashion, especially in the streetpunk and Anarchist crust punk scenes....
   (a typically biker or punk vest)
• Bulletproof vest
  Bulletproof vest
  
  A ballistic vest is an item of armor that absorbs the impact from firearm-fired projectiles and shrapnel fragments from explosions. This protection is for the torso....