Definition

A long, loose piece of clothing that is worn in bed, similar to a shirt.

Example

He put on his nightshirt before going to sleep.

Conversation

I just bought the cutest nightshirt for the summer.

Oh really? What does it look like?

It's light blue with little stars all over it.

That sounds adorable! I need to get one for myself.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Nightshirt → It is formed from "night" (from Old English *niht*, meaning the period of darkness) and "shirt" (from Old English *scyrte*, meaning a garment worn on the upper body). The word "nightshirt" refers to a garment worn during the night, typically for sleeping.

Memory Tip

Think of the time of day when it is dark ('night') and the type of clothing you wear ('shirt') — a nightshirt is simply a shirt for wearing at night.

Visually Confused Words