overfront

English

Etymology

over- +‎ front

Noun

overfront (plural overfronts)

1. A false overshirt, jacket, or vest that is attached to the bodice or shirt of a garment.
   • 1887 April, Emily H. May, “Girl's Frock: with Supplement”, in New Peterson's Magazine, volume 91, number 4, page 377:

     No 2—Is the Overfront, forming a jacket that opens over the fullness.

   • 1894, “What to Wear: Chit-Chat on Dress”, in Cassell's Family Magazine:

     The straight overfronts and back of the gown were made in Ondine silk , shot blue and faint yellow with an opalescent effect

   • 1943, Frederick W. Bryant, “Sports Shirt”, in Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, page 526:

     A garment of the general character described, comprising an open-front under-body shirt, and an over-front thereon consisting of a lower abdominal body portion having lateral extensions attached to the side portions of the under-body shirt, and divergent upwardly extended strap portions connected to the shoulder portions of the under-body shirt, said overfront being connected to said under-body shirt adjacent its lower edge whereby to form pockets between the under-body shirt and the over-front.

2. A decorative wall hanging or dorsal that sits behind the altar and matches the netherfront.
   • 1904, Essays on Ceremonial, page 7:

     Or when they had four columns to hold up the overfront and riddells, these were often utilised to carry a taper on each.

   • 2016, Sarah Hamilton, Andrew Spicer, Defining the Holy:

     It seems quite possible that the 'greater sorte' of silk pictures in particular were intended to adorn an altar, either as an overfront, a netherfront or even a reredos.

   • 1904, Transactions - Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, page 258:

     The most noteworthy altar-cloths were a set given by Alice Chester, the overfront representing our Lord rising out of the Sepulchre, sometimes called our Lord's Pity, with a netherfront and two curtains all "of one work."

Verb

overfront (third-person singular simple present overfronts, present participle overfronting, simple past and past participle overfronted)

1. (obsolete) To confront; to oppose; to withstand.
   • 1643, William Barriffe, Military Discipline: or the Yong Artillery Man, page 72:

     Doubling of the Reere, your battaile will be both lengthened and strengthned , And so by the sudden bringing of these Supplies into the reere, you may not only relieve your owne, but happily overfront your enemy.

   • 1644, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine or Discipline of Divorce: […], 2nd edition, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, book:

     When things indifferent shall be set to overfront us under the banners of sin , what wonder if we be routed , and by this art of our adversary fall into the subjection of worst and deadliest offences ?

   • 1807, Voltaire, The Henriade, Translated by Daniel French, Esq., page 154:

     The first, a foe no tempest can unbend; The next more supple, but a dangerous friend; This flies the storm he dares not to oppose, That boldly stands, to overfront his foes;