midriff

noun

1. diaphragm(def 1).
2. the middle part of the body, between the chest and the waist.
3. the part of a dress or bodice, usually close-fitting, that covers this part of the body.
4. a garment that exposes this part of the body.

adjective

5. noting or pertaining to the middle part of the human body, the part of a garment that covers it, or a garment that exposes it.

noun

1. 1. the middle part of the human body, esp between waist and bust
   2. (as modifier)midriff bulge
2. anatomy another name for the diaphragm (def. 1)
3. the part of a woman’s garment covering the midriff
4. US a woman’s garment which exposes the midriff

n.Old English midhrif, from mid “mid” (see mid) + hrif “belly,” from Proto-Germanic *hrefiz- (cf. Old High German href, Old Frisian hrif “belly”), from PIE *kwrep- “body, form, appearance” (see corporeal). More or less obsolete after 18c. except in phrase to tickle (one’s) midriff “to cause laughter,” the word revived 1941 in fashion usage for “portion of a woman’s garment that covers the belly,” as a euphemistic avoidance of belly; sense inverted and extended 1970 to a belly-baring style of women’s top. n.

1. diaphragm