Tuxedos

/tʌkˈsidoʊz/ noun

Definition

Formal dinner jackets, usually black with a special lapel, worn with bow ties for fancy evening events.

Etymology

Named after Tuxedo Park, a wealthy community in New York where the style was popularized in the 1880s. The place name became the name for the garment—before this, such formal jackets were called 'dress coats.' The term spread worldwide from America.

Kelly Says

It's amazing that a place name from a wealthy New York suburb became the word for formal wear worldwide! Tuxedo Park residents started wearing a new style of dinner jacket without tails in the 1880s, and it caught on so completely that the place name became the universal term for formal menswear.

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