different between sleeve vs abacost

English

Etymology

From Middle English sleve, slefe, from Old English sl?ef and sl?efe (“sleeve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sleeuwe (“sleeve”), West Frisian slúf, Dutch sloof (“apron”), Low German sluve, dialectal German Schlaube.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /sli?v/

Noun

sleeve (plural sleeves)

1. The part of a garment that covers the arm. [from 10th c.]

   The sleeves on my coat are too long.

2. A (usually tubular) covering or lining to protect a piece of machinery etc. [from 19th c.]

   This bearing requires a sleeve so the shaft will fit snugly.

3. A protective jacket or case, especially for a record, containing art and information about the contents; also the analogous leaflet found in a packaged CD. [from 20th c.]
4. A tattoo covering the whole arm.
5. A narrow channel of water.

   • Even from Southhampton ' s shore through Wilts and Somerset The Attrebates in Bark unto the bank of Tames Betwixt the Celtic sleeve and the Sabrinian streams

6. sleave; untwisted thread.
7. (British Columbia) A serving of beer measuring between 14 and 16 ounces.
8. (US) A long, cylindrical plastic bag of cookies or crackers.
   • 2012, Half A Sleeve Of Oreos Lost In House Fire", The Onion, May 5, 2012:

     A three-alarm fire tore through a family home on Newark's East Side early Saturday morning, completely gutting the two-story residence and tragically claiming a half-sleeve of Oreo cookies that was trapped inside a cupboard.

9. (electrical) A double tube of copper into which the ends of bare wires are pushed so that when the tube is twisted an electrical connection is made. The joint thus made is called a McIntire joint.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

sleeve (third-person singular simple present sleeves, present participle sleeving, simple past and past participle sleeved)

1. (transitive) To fit and attach a sleeve to an upper garment (e.g. to a shirt, blouse, sweater, jacket, coat, etc.) or to a folder.
2. (magic tricks) To hide something up one's sleeve.

Translations

See also

• raglan
• thimble

Further reading

• Sleeve in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• eleves, levees, levées

English

Etymology

From French. A contraction of à bas le costume (“down with the western suit”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?æ.b?.k?st/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?æ.b?.k?st/

Noun

abacost (plural abacosts)

1. (chiefly historical) A short- or long-sleeved button-up jacket, worn without a shirt, that was promoted in Zaïre under the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko. [First attested in the late 20^th century]
   • 2005, Jeanne M. Haskin, The tragic state of the Congo: from decolonization to dictatorship, Algora, page 44:

     Wearing a collarless jacket called the abacost that reflected the style of chairman Mao, Mobutu outlawed the traditional suits and business dress of the West.

   • 2006, Martin Meredith, Africa: from the hopes of freedom to the heart of despair, PublicAffairs, page 296:

     The abacost became Mobutu's personal trademark, […]

   • 2007, Gemma Pitcher et al., Africa 11th ed., Lonely Planet, page 562:

     [T]he new leader [Mobutu Sese Seko] embarked on a campaign of 'Africanisation', with […] suits giving way to the abacost (a Congolese version of the Mao jacket); […]

   • 2007, Michael Powell, 101 People You Won't Meet in Heaven, Globe Pequot, page 206:

     [A]ll western clothing was banned—to be replaced by one-piece tunic called an abacost.

References

Anagrams

• Tabasco, tabasco

French

Etymology

Contraction of the political slogan à bas le costume! (“down with the suit!”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ba.k?st/

Noun

abacost m (plural abacosts)

1. (Africa, chiefly historical) abacost