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2. shirtsleevesThe state of wearing no coat, jacket, or other outer garment over one's shirt:dined in shirtsleeves; balmy weather that had them down to their shirtsleeves.
adj.
1. alsoshirt·sleeved(-slēvd′)Dressed without a coat:shirtsleeve spectators; a shirtsleeved orchestra.
2. alsoshirtsleevesCalling for the removal of a coat or jacket; not requiring a coat or jacket for comfort:shirtsleeve weather; a shirtsleeves picnic.
3. alsoshirtsleevesMarked by informality or straightforwardness:shirtsleeve politics; a shirtsleeves conference.
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.