# What do you call a t-shirt with long sleeves?



## jorgecanta47

What do you call a t-shirt with long sleeves which is to be worn not as underwear but the opposite?


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## Sylentia

Simply a long-sleeved t-shirt... or maybe even a sweatshirt.


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## panjandrum

That is a long-sleeved t-shirt 
There are other terms, I'm sure.


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## scorpio1984

panjandrum said:


> That is a long-sleeved t-shirt
> There are other terms, I'm sure.


 
so, a t-shirt has no sleeves or short sleeves? thanks!


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## panjandrum

t-shirt (OED)A simple kind of garment, orig. a man's undershirt, typically  short-sleeved, round-necked, buttonless and made from knitted cotton  fabric, and forming the shape of a letter T when spread out flat;​I would expect a long-sleeved t-shirt to be made of t-shirt stuff (knitted cotton fabric).

With no sleeves, I would call it a vest.


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## ewie

I'd call a long-sleeved t-shirt a _sweatshirt._


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## panjandrum

ewie said:


> I'd call a long-sleeved t-shirt a _sweatshirt._


You and Sylentia.
I distinguish between them on the basis of the stuff they are made from.
A long-sleeved t-shirt is made of t-shirt stuff - thin knitted cotton.
A sweatshirt is made of sweatshirt stuff - heavier knitted cotton with a cuddly-soft, warm, fleecy inside.
My distinction may well be local, or even personal


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## ewie

Hmmm.  Not sure.  I'll rephrase my first answer: "I would not call a long-sleeved t-shirt a _t-shirt_ of any kind."  For me, once a t-shirt starts developing long sleeves, it ceases to be a t-shirt.


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## natkretep

A _sweatshirt_, for me, is made of heavier cotton and usually fleeced on the inside. I'd call it a _long-sleeved T-shirt_ or s _long-sleeved tee_, whether it's worn on its own, or even with a normal T-shirt over it for a layering effect.


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## Spira

ewie said:


> Hmmm. Not sure. I'll rephrase my first answer: "I would not call a long-sleeved t-shirt a _t-shirt_ of any kind." For me, once a t-shirt starts developing long sleeves, it ceases to be a t-shirt.


 
This subject is a little bit one of my specialities, being a sports historian as well as professional in the sports goods trade.
T-shirt is so-called because the body of the garment plus the short sleeves resemble the letter T. Some people write the name tee-shirt, others prefer t-shirt. The Americans often refer to them simply as a Tee these days. The material is not really significant, although cotton or a mixture of cotton/polyester remain predominant.
Long-sleeved t-shirt remains a t-shirt, as it still resembles a T, but with a longer horizontal stroke.
Sweat-shirt is the upper half of a sweat-suit, now frequently sold and worn without the sweat-pants. Popularised in the USA after the second world war, made of cotton with a fleece lining, conceived to absorb sweat while running (hence the name).

So the short answer to the original question is: a long-sleeved t-shirt.


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## ewie

(Note to self: Don't answer any more questions about clothes.  Console yourself by nipping out to Oxfam for a new outfit.)


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## TrishD

I see this is a 2010 conversation but in 2017 I still cant find the answer to ewie's question - and it has puzzled me too!  A long sleeved, knit fabric (like t-shirt fabric) top which can be worn alone or under a jacket/sweatshirt/tunic overtop still does not seem to have a name.  We may have called it a skivvy a few decades ago - but that better described a turtle-neck style.  Why is there not a simple to describe a 'long sleeved t-shirt' ???? Maybe I'll start calling it a 'knit shirt' or a 'love shirt' (taking 'lo' from long and 've' from sleeve.


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## Cagey

TrishD said:


> 'long sleeved t-shirt'


If you are speaking to speakers of American English, this is the best choice. 

When you try to create words, you run the risk of being misunderstood.


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## JulianStuart

TrishD said:


> I see this is a 2010 conversation but in 2017 I still cant find the answer to ewie's question - and it has puzzled me too!  A long sleeved, knit fabric (like t-shirt fabric) top which can be worn alone or under a jacket/sweatshirt/tunic overtop still does not seem to have a name.  We may have called it a skivvy a few decades ago - but that better described a turtle-neck style.  Why is there not a simple to describe a 'long sleeved t-shirt' ???? Maybe I'll start calling it a 'knit shirt' or a 'love shirt' (taking 'lo' from long and 've' from sleeve.


On the other hand, we don't have a _separate_ word for a short-sleeved shirt (i.e. a normal shirt with buttons but short sleeves) - presumably that's why T-short was created to distinguish it from other short-sleeved shirts (the main characteristic of a T-shirt is the lack of buttons - material can be varied a bit).  As a bit of background, we get quite a lot of questions from non-native speakers "Is there a word for this in English?", where "this" is quite complex or specific and the questioner often is disappointed that, no there isn't a single word that expresses (all of) that meaning.


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## kentix

Cagey said:


> If you are speaking to speakers of American English, this is the best choice.



As far as I'm concerned, it's the official U.S. name for that sort of shirt - that's how it's advertised, labeled, discussed, and sold. Either long-sleeved or long-sleeve, as this page from Amazon shows.

Amazon.com: Long Sleeve T Shirt


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## luckyleo

I would call a long sleeve t-shirt style a HENLEY shirt.


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## Myridon

luckyleo said:


> I would call a long sleeve t-shirt style a HENLEY shirt.


A henley shirt has buttons at the neck. It can be short-sleeved or long-sleeved.
Henley shirt - Wikipedia


> A *Henley shirt* is a collarless pullover shirt, characterized by a placket beneath the round neckline, about 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 cm) long and usually having 2–5 buttons.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

luckyleo said:


> I would call a long sleeve t-shirt style a HENLEY shirt.



I agree with Myridon's description of a Henley shirt.  A long-sleeved t-shirt has no buttons -- and that is why it is a form of t-shirt rather than a Henley shirt.


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## Egmont

GreenWhiteBlue said:


> I agree with Myridon's description of a Henley shirt.  A long-sleeved t-shirt has no buttons -- and that is why it is a form of t-shirt rather than a Henley shirt.



Right. A long-sleeved T-shirt is identical to a short-sleeved T-shirt, except for one detail: its sleeves are longer.


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## Soleil_Couchant

I just call it a long-sleeved shirt. Eh?  And then yes, something woolly or knit and fuzzy is a sweater. Something thicker (than your average long-sleeved shirt) with maybe an inner lining is a sweatshirt.


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## Myridon

Soleil_Couchant said:


> I just call it a long-sleeved shirt. Eh?


"Long sleeved shirt" doesn't specify a t-shirt.  A long-sleeved shirt could be a button-down oxford.


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## Soleil_Couchant

You're right I'm sure, I just can't think I've ever said "long sleeved t-shirt" before. It seems like an oxymoron lol...


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## RM1(SS)

If there was no reason to describe the sleeves, I'd just call it a t-shirt.


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## Soleil_Couchant

^ but t-shirts are short-sleeved by nature, right? Hence needing to specify the long-sleeved aspect when they have long sleeves. Maybe it's a regional thing.


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## dojibear

Soleil_Couchant said:


> ^ but t-shirts are short-sleeved by nature, right? Hence needing to specify the long-sleeved aspect when they have long sleeves. Maybe it's a regional thing.



The standard, original, most common T-shirt has short sleeves. But if you add the phrase "long sleeve" before it, that changes it, without changing the essential nature of the shirt.

The essential nature is: plain cotton or cotton-blend, no buttons, no collar, simple in design. Some are a simple color, while billions of others have a picture, a slogan and/or a famous place-name on the front. This picture/lettering is done with T-shirts (at every tourist spot on earth) and some sweatshirts, but is rare on any other kind of shirt.

Further details are hard to describe in writing, but are clear to anyone who has seen countless T-shirts and countless other shirts. Like most words in a language, you know what objects fit a word by seeing examples, not by analyzing definitions. If you use definitions, you may get it wrong. How native speakers use a word defines its "meaning".

For example, there are plenty of short-sleeved sports shirts worn for golfing, sailing, etc. that are *not* T-shirts. They have a small collar, one or two buttons, are a nicer fabric, etc. Some have a small brand insignia at the shirt-pocket spot. A golf club might frown on players wearing T-shirts: they are too informal. These other shirts are acceptable anywhere.

Try a google search for "golf shirt". Then click "images" at the top, rather than clicking on items in the results. You will see many golf shirts. Do the same with "tee shirt". At the top of the group of pictures are several rectangles: click the one labelled "long sleeve" to see examples of "long sleeve T-shirts"


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## Soleil_Couchant

I guess I see what you're saying, if "t-shirt" refers to the simplicity of design and fabric. But I still consider the hallmark of a t-shirt to be the short sleeves.



> Like most words in a language, you know what objects fit a word by seeing examples, not by analyzing definitions. If you use definitions, you may get it wrong. How native speakers use a word defines its "meaning".



Right, and that goes both ways. You could use that argument to back up both my stance and yours. When I hear "t-shirt" I think of short-sleeves. And yes there are polo shirts and golf shirts, etc. But again, to me, t-shirt is primarily used to denote short sleeves. Maybe if you really break it down and start "analyzing definitions" (as it seems is happening right now), a t-shirt is technically more specific. But to me, t-shirt = causal short sleeved shirt.

[you mentioned the "native speaker" thing...I live in France right now but I'm totally American lol, born and raised in the land of casual clothes and t-shirts a-plenty. I'm even wearing one right now!]


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## sdgraham

Soleil_Couchant said:


> I guess I see what you're saying, if "t-shirt" refers to the simplicity of design and fabric. But I still consider the hallmark of a t-shirt to be the short sleeves.


You might think that, but the U.S. is long accustomed to "long-sleeve t-shirts."

Executing a Google search for "long-sleeve T-shirts" will provide you with a much-needed epiphany. 

For example:
*Men's Long Sleeve T-Shirts by Patagonia - patagonia.com‎*


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## Soleil_Couchant

No epiphanies here, lol. I know that the term exists. I just think it's bizarre and an oxymoron. And if the term "t-shirt" by itself didn't inherently imply "short sleeves" there'd be no need to specify "long sleeve," would there? Which, again, means the short-sleeved aspect is inherently implied in the term "t-shirt."

My last couple of responses were in response to RM1(SS) who said "If there was no reason to describe the sleeves, I'd just call it a t-shirt."

To me, if you JUST said "t-shirt," people will automatically imagine short sleeves. It doesn't seem that complicated...


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## Volodaaaa

Sorry I am not a native speaker but do a lot of e-shop purchases and they usually distinguish upper garment as follows:

Shirt - a long-sleeve formal top that usually fits a suite, but can be also made as an informal top with some conspicuous pattern. The formal version is worn by men while the casual version also by women. Always with buttons.
Short-sleeved shirt - the same but with short sleeves. Some say that wearing the formal is tactless for certain occasions (funerals, weddings, etc.). Always with buttons.
T-shirt - casual top without buttons usually with short sleeves. Without buttons.
Long sleeve t-shirt - T-shirt with long sleeves.
Sweatshirt - a top made of more thick cloth, sometimes with zip, sometimes with hood. An informal version of pullover/sweater. I think it is banned from workplaces with strict dress-code.
Sweater - a knitted top, could be formal or informal, with zip or buttons.
Pullover - same as sweater but without zip or buttons. To put it on you have to pull it over through your head.
Blouse - women's formal version of shirt made of fine materials like satin etc.
Top - any shirt without two sleeves. The typical sleeveless shirt is called tanktop and worn by men or women. The others (one-shoulder, off-shoulder, strapless) are worn by women.


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## JulianStuart

Soleil_Couchant said:


> I just think it's bizarre and an oxymoron.


  It would only be an oxymoron if T-shirt meant short-sleeved.  There is a key difference between one of the characteristics of a T-shirt and the meaning.  It would be like saying that calling an ostrich a “flightless bird” is an oxymoron  


Soleil_Couchant said:


> To me, if you JUST said "t-shirt," people will automatically imagine short sleeves.


 That’s exacty the reason to add the distinguishing words to refer to one that has long sleeves! Similar to describing a “shirt” (as one normaly refers to the thing you often wear a tie with) as “short-sleeved” to distinguish it from one with long sleeves and cuffs etc. (and, coincidentally, to distinguish it from a T-shirt!),


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## Soleil_Couchant

In my life and house, we always used "t-shirt" to describe the short sleeved thing. Like "What will you wear tomorrow?" "Oh, a t-shirt and some jeans." "You think it will be warm enough for that?"  (because it's automatically known that the t-shirt is short sleeved). so that's why to me, the first thing that comes to mind with a t-shirt is its short sleeved nature.

But yes, a "long sleeve t-shirt" is the long-sleeved version of the casual, short-sleeved buttonless cotton thing. (Which still seems weird to me, lol)


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## Myridon

Soleil_Couchant said:


> In my life and house, we always used "t-shirt" to describe the short sleeved thing. Like "What will you wear tomorrow?" "Oh, a t-shirt and some jeans." "You think it will be warm enough for that?"  (because it's automatically known that the t-shirt is short sleeved). so that's why to me, the first thing that comes to mind with a t-shirt is its short sleeved nature.
> 
> But yes, a "long sleeve t-shirt" is the long-sleeved version of the casual, short-sleeved buttonless cotton thing. (Which still seems weird to me, lol)


That's true, but there are many other short sleeved shirts. 

Golf shirts and polo shirts are also short-sleeved in their default form.  Rugby shirts and oxford shirts are long-sleeved in their default form.  All of them have alternate forms.

Before the electric guitar was invented, we just had guitars.   Now the electric guitar is the default, we refer to what used to be just "guitars" as "acoustic guitars."  

A two-door car. A four-door pickup truck. A convertible car.

There's nothing strange or unusual about this in English.  It's not weird at all. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make.


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## Soleil_Couchant

My point was that the short-sleeved aspect is one of the defining factors of what a t-shirt is. It was in response to post #23. If you say "t-shirt," people will imagine short sleeves. That's all.


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## Volodaaaa

First, I do not think this is the problem that concerns English solely. And second, I do not think that there is an unambiguous answer, because in a matter of context, t-shirt could be a general term used for ale non-buttoned clothes that cover your upper part of body, in other context it could be short-sleeved thing exclusively.

Let's imagine I have been given a long-sleeved t-shirt as a Christmas gift from my wife. Two days later, she definitely would not ask me if I like the long-sleeved t-shirt she gave me. She would ask me if I like the t-shirt. The same goes vice-versa.  I would not ask her if she like the lace balcony-bra with Brazilian knickers. I would just ask her about the lingerie. We are not fashion designers.

In the end, I also does not see a reason why distinguish the length of sleeves in colloquial conversation.


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## Soleil_Couchant

Volodaaaa said:


> Let's imagine I have been given a long-sleeved t-shirt as a Christmas gift from my wife. *Two days later, she definitely would not ask me if I like the long-sleeved t-shirt she gave me. She would ask me if I like the t-shirt.* The same goes vice-versa.
> 
> In the end, I also does not see a reason why distinguish the length of sleeves in colloquial conversation.



See, I really don't agree with this. She'd simply ask you if you liked your "*shirt.*"  Not "*t*-shirt"!!  So, yes, if you're talking about a *t-*shirt with long sleeves, you need to specify that it has long sleeves.  It's obvious a lot of people don't agree with me here. Merriam-Webster's definition of a t-shirt says it is short-sleeved. If you say t-shirt, the image in your mind is a casual thing with short sleeves. I don't get why that point is being argued so much on this thread.


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## Gwelirid

Volodaaaa said:


> I do not think this is the problem that concerns English solely


In russian it would be T-shirt and long sleeved T-shirt, but usually you just say T-shirt no matter what, because it's faster and usually nobody cares about sleeves.


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## Volodaaaa

Come one! We are not arguing  You are right, but normally, unless you are writing some scientific paper about apparel, you do not follow the Marriam-Webster's definitions. It is just a t-shirt. If time come and you are forced to provide some further details, you'll just say it is a long-sleeved t-shirt. The same goes for cars. How many times have you heard someone saying a sentence like "I won't take a bus, I'll use our hatchback instead". It happens only if the owner has a specific relationship with the car or the family has more cars which must be distinguished. 

Conclusion: it should not be taken as a gap in English grammar knowledge if someone use the term "t-shirt" for long-sleeved apparel.


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## Soleil_Couchant

To me, the conclusion is that if you say "t-shirt" in America anyway, people will imagine short sleeves. So, if you mean to say that it has long sleeves, you need to specify that.  The generic term that shows you don't care about sleeves at all would just be "shirt."


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## JulianStuart

Soleil_Couchant said:


> So, yes, if you're talking about a *t-*shirt with long sleeves, you _need to specify that it has long sleeves_. I don't get why that point is being argued so much on this thread.


  Are you arguing with yourself here?  We’re all quite happy with doing what you recommend, specifying a T-shirt with long sleeves as “a long-sleeved T-shirt”.  Several dictionary definitions even have the word “usually” before the words “with short sleeves”.  Of course, if the length of the sleeves is not an important part of the discussion, then simply T-shirt is fine.  However, this discussion arose from the OPs’ question and the answer was “There is no single  word meaning “long-sleeved T-shirt”.

Cross-posted without even a _hint_ of oxymoron


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## Soleil_Couchant

If you read the last two posts, now they're saying that you can just say "t-shirt" to mean long sleeved, and also post #23 which is what got me going down this path anyway.

Okay, this thread is going in circles -- nobody agrees with me, and that's fine. My point was that to me, "t-shirt" by itself implies short sleeves. So if you use that word by itself, people will imagine short sleeves. If you don't care about sleeves, just say "shirt."

And, earlier on, yes, I think the idea of a "long-sleeve t-shirt" is funny because t-shirts have short sleeves by nature. But I agree (and did before) that that is the "official" term used to describe them.


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## Volodaaaa

I think the difference between shirt and t-shirt is much greater than the difference between short-sleeved t-shirt and long-sleeved t-shirt. It generally does not make difference when I say "I'll take a t-shirt today" regardless of the length of sleeves. But saying "I'll take a shirt today" implies I have to be dressed formally today. Well it could be my case only, because I do not wear casual shirts.


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## JulianStuart

Soleil_Couchant said:


> Okay, this thread is going in circles -- nobody agrees with me, and that's fine.


In #39 above, I quoted you and wholeheartedly agree with you: if it has long sleeves you need to refer to it as a “long-sleeved T-shirt” (a brief trip online has shown that this term is widely used).  If the length of the sleeves is not important, you can just say T-shirt (as noted in #23).  Are you getting dizzy yet?


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## RM1(SS)

Soleil_Couchant said:


> My last couple of responses were in response to RM1(SS) who said "If there was no reason to describe the sleeves, I'd just call it a t-shirt."
> 
> To me, if you JUST said "t-shirt," people will automatically imagine short sleeves. It doesn't seem that complicated...


But would it be important that you imagine me in long sleeves, rather than short?  If so, there would be a reason to describe the sleeves.  I'm wearing a t-shirt right now; what sort isn't important, so you and others who read this are free to imagine whatever you will.


Unless you imagine vulgar or obscene pictures or slogans.  I will emphatically deny ever having owned or worn such a shirt.


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## CeeAyKay

In Australia and New Zealand many call a long sleeved T-shirt a skivvy ( especially if it has a turtleneck collar ).


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## kentix

A key difference that distinguishes a t-shirt has been glossed over this entire thread (with a few exceptions). A t-shirt is made of knitted, stretchy material. If it's woven cloth, it will never be a t-shirt. A t-shirt has "give" to it, which is why it wears well under other clothes and why it's comfortable to wear by itself. A shirt with no buttons made out of woven material would be almost impossible to get on.

A long-sleeve t-shirt is made out of the same material in the same way following the same basic design principles. The key factor, without which no short sleeve shirt (or long) could possibly be considered a t-shirt, is the material and the fact that it's knitted and stretchy. Everything flows from that. Of course, there are other knitted, stretchy, short sleeve shirts that aren't t-shirts - because they have collars, or buttons, or are knitted from different materials that are thicker or are knitted into patterns or are different in some other way.


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## JulianStuart

I'd suggest a small addition that the material is generally quite lightweight.


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