Plural of basque; fitted bodices or the people and language of the Basque region in Spain and France.
From Basque, the ethnic and linguistic group of the Pyrenees region. The garment 'basque' took its name from the region where it was believed to originate in the 16th century.
The Basque language is a linguistic island—it's not related to any other European language and linguists still don't know where it came from, making it one of the world's true linguistic mysteries.
The basque as a garment is historically marketed as feminine apparel, encoding gendered dress assumptions. The term also refers to Basque people, which has no gender bias.
When referring to the garment, specify 'basque bodice' or 'fitted waist garment' to clarify non-gendered construction technique. Basque people/language terms carry no such concern.
["fitted bodices","tailored waist garments"]
Women textile workers across Basque country and Europe designed and perfected fitted bodice techniques; this craft heritage deserves attribution beyond fashion marketing.
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