Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A triangular insert, as in the seam of a garment, for added strength or expansion.
- n. A triangular metal bracket used to strengthen a joist.
- n. A piece of mail or plate armor protecting the joints in a suit of armor.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A triangular plate or piece of cloth inserted or attached, to protect, strengthen, or fill out some part of a thing; a gore. specifically — The triangular space left at each joint of the body between two adjacent pieces of plate-armor. This was covered with chain-mail, and in addition many devices were tried, such as roundels and the like, ending in the elaborate pauldron, cubitière, genouillière, etc.
- n. An angular piece of iron or a kind of bracket fastened in the angles of a structure to give strength or stiffness. An angular piece of iron inserted in a boiler, tank, etc., where it changes from a cylindrical to a square form, as at the junction of the barrel and fire-box of a locomotive. A triangular piece of cloth inserted in a garment to strengthen or enlarge some part.
- n. In heraldry, same as gore, 7.
- To make with a gusset; insert a gusset into, as a garment.
- n. In iron shipbuilding, a piece of plate of triangular form reinforcing on one side the junction of a part which meets another angularly, the gusset-plate being approximately normal to the line of the joint between the parts. See cut under bracket, 9 .
Wiktionary
- n. A small piece of cloth inserted in a garment, for the purpose of strengthening some part or giving it a tapering enlargement.
- n. A small piece of mail, providing some protection where two plates of armor are joined, usually at the elbows, under the shoulders, and behind the knees.
- n. machinery A kind of bracket, or angular piece of iron, fastened in the angles of a structure to give strength or stiffness; esp., the part joining the barrel and the fire box of a locomotive boiler.
- n. heraldry An abatement or mark of dishonor in a coat of arms, resembling a gusset.
- n. roofing A large flat metal piece wider than the valley to help prevent build-up at the base of the valley, either from debris or ice dam formations.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A small piece of cloth inserted in a garment, for the purpose of strengthening some part or giving it a tapering enlargement.
- n. Anything resembling a gusset in a garment.
- n. (Armor) A small piece of chain mail at the openings of the joints beneath the arms.
- n. (Mach.) A kind of bracket, or angular piece of iron, fastened in the angles of a structure to give strength or stiffness; esp., the part joining the barrel and the fire box of a locomotive boiler.
- n. (Her.) An abatement or mark of dishonor in a coat of arms, resembling a gusset.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a piece of chain mail covering a place unprotected by armor plate
- n. a piece of material used to strengthen or enlarge a garment
- n. a metal plate used to strengthen a joist
Etymologies
- French gousset ("armpit, fob"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Old French gousset, perhaps diminutive of gousse, pod, husk. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“And oh yes, we'll try to have the word "gusset" said at least three times.”
“Today, the head of the National Transportation Safety board held a news conference to let people know that although the investigation is far from over, the team feels it's very important to point out that they're focusing on what they call the gusset plates.”
“But he wanted to say that the team is focusing on what they call the gusset plates.”
“The Zimmermann version only starts arch-shaping when the gusset is finished.”
“A gusset is a triangular or diamond-shaped insert added to a garment, for example, in the crotch or underarms, which allows for more ease of movement.”
"Make It Yourself": Home Sewing, Gender, and Culture, 1890-1930
“So I did a search, and found out that it means gusset, which is "a usually diamond-shaped or triangular insert in a seam...to provide expansion or reinforcement.”
“SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we're finding, Heidi, is as you mentioned The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a news conference later this afternoon, but various sources involved in the investigation say that right now the team is focusing on steel plates called gusset plates that are used to hold the steel beams of a bridge together.”
“CHETRY: The NTSB, it looks like they're saying that this design flaw they're speaking about is the design of steel connecting plates, known as gusset plates.”
“The flap is ribbed, and a detail I particularly liked is the gusset, which is also ribbed.”
“The so-called gusset plates must bear the weight of the bridge, vehicle traffic, the forces of wind and other factors to keep the steel beam joints intact.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘gusset’.
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ecbrenner's list
flatline, luddism, apocalipstick, muttsucker, leviathan of fore..., flint, coryphaeus, donnybrook, bandwidth, bagpipe the mizen, cheesed off, asterism and 525 more...
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Twitter favourites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favourite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
bumwank, calamity, recalcitrant, gayenese, jeeze, nonsense, flabbergasted, juxtapose, procrastinating, ossanity, biffing, loser and 1972 more... -
Just 'cause I like 'em, G
grocer, gabanergic, gabardine, gabbro, gaffe, gneiss, grapple, grosgrain, grommet, gratify, gossamer, goofy and 194 more...
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ulyssean
... as in "by James Joyce"
stately, plump, aloft, gurgling, untonsured, chrysostomos, jowl, parapet, jesuit, indigestion, scutter, noserag and 688 more...
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...another list...
I've no idea where I got this page full of words, but whatever it is, I want to find it again. May have duplicate words from other lists.
bicameral, aphelion, dirigible, parhelion, flocculus, vernier, corticate, oxalis, pandanus, calabash, plumbago, jonquil and 217 more...
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Clearinghouse
For stuff to simply reside.
calcar, pinion, espadrille, antipodes, peregrine, cormorant, tanager, vireo, farrago, undervest, passerine, oscine and 881 more...
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another yet
anneal, copepod, cuckoo, fathead, intone, patter, cabriole, knickknack, boodle, kit, estrange, forebode and 209 more...
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Ulysses
This is a list of the more difficult English words found in James Joyce's Ulysses. It will continually be updated as I read along. The list is in reverse chronological order, meaning that the last ...
equine, untonsured, corpuscle, prelate, parapet, dactyl, jejune, lancet, jalap, barbican, valise, dewsilky and 377 more...
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sartorial splendor
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
-Mark Twainapplique, ascot, brogue, dressing gown, frippery, gusset, grommet, placket, silhouette, whipstitch, appliqué, baste and 59 more...
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the armourer
Armour and weapons, and the occasional soldier.
gauntlet, vambrace, ballista, arbalest, trebuchet, sabre, epee, foil, flamberge, katana, dagger, switchblade and 80 more...
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zilch's Words
saturnine, punctum, cantankerous, crenel, festoon, sophistry, ersatz, kismet, esprit, crepuscular, pulchritude, chthonic and 52 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for gusset.

seanahan I don't think I've ever heard this word in America, except when watching the British show Coupling. Jul 10, 2009
reesetee I like "gusset." Also "portion." Jul 9, 2009
ecbrenner I can't hear this word anymore without thinking of a scene from "Coupling" in which Jeff tries to pick up a girl and when he finds she doesn't speak English, he takes the opportunity to say some of his favorite words, "gusset" being among them. Jul 7, 2009
bilby "I also hate portion. Partly because of the sound, partly because of the implied paucity of the amount. Who wants a portion of pudding? I want a helping or a bowlful." Jul 7, 2009
sionnach This garnered a number of mentions on the Guardian's "most despised word" discussion (7/7/09). Some detractors, but a spirited defence as well. My favorite sentence from the discussion:
"The world would be a lot better place if the likes of Peaches Geldof had sturdier gussets."
Of course, the moist-haters were out in force. Defenestrate came in for some criticism as well.
wincewords Jul 7, 2009
brtom "From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step. Pyjamas, let us say? Or stockingette gusseted knickers, closed?" Joyce, Ulysses, 15 Jan 1, 2008