Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Excessively strict in behavior, morality, or opinions.
  • adjective Having or wearing a tightly laced garment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Made close and tight by lacing, as stays or a bodice.
  • Wearing tightly laced stays, bodice, etc.
  • Hence Strict in manners or morals; rigid in opinion.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Bound with stays.
  • adjective rare Restricted; stiff; constrained.
  • adjective Rigid in opinion; strict in manners or morals.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Alternative spelling of straight-laced.
  • adjective Bound with stays.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective exaggeratedly proper
  • adjective exaggeratedly proper

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[strait, tightly (obsolete) + -laced (from lace).]

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