the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > underwear > [noun] > contrivance for expanding skirts (27)
A frame used to expand a woman's skirt; a bustle, a pannier. Obsolete. rare.
As a mass noun: crinoline or its substitutes (whalebone, steel hoops, etc.) as used to stiffen a petticoat or support the skirts of a woman's dress.