The word shirt is being used so frequently that many people do not stop and think about the true meaning of this word and whether they use it correctly. For example for Americans the word shirt refers to almost any piece of clothing for the upper part of the body, whereas the British have a more strict definition of the word shirt.



In British English the word shirt has a more accurate definition than in American English or for that matter than all languages where this word is used. We all know that the British are more uptight people, who have strict rules and like to have a more planned way of living, but to have a definition for a shirt and actually respect that definition is quite interesting. For the British a shit must have a collar, cuffs and it definitely has to open vertically, preferably to open with buttons. This British definition of shirt as you can see is entirely different from the one Americans have and actually what British call a shirt Americans call dress shirt.

Of course we all know that there are many differences between British English and American English, but it is pretty interesting to find out that even the meaning of the word shirt is different. However, there are some things that both these languages have in common when it comes to shirts: a variety of shirts. You would be amazed by how many shirts are. I myself did not know so many types existed and I usually wear shirts. Well first of all we have the T- shirt which I guess it was an American word that the British adopted as well. This I do not know for sure. Then we have the blouse, which is the lady's shirt, often known as a top in American English. Moreover, we have the Aloha shirt, which I guess everybody knows and loves because of its bright colors and extremely light fabric, then there is the camp shirt and the tennis shirt, the polo shirt or the golf shirt, which all have the same characteristics. The list can go on with camisole, Rugby shirt, night shirt and so on.

The many types of shirts there are makes it quite difficult to give a proper definition of the word shirt and more than that to respect that definition. However the British have tried to do that and so if you ever go to the UK make sure you know what a shirt is.