the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > stiffening > whalebone > strip of (3)
A strip of whalebone or a similar material (now usually metal or plastic) inserted into the fabric of a garment or other item in order to stiffen…
A strip of whalebone, esp. used as stiffening in women's stays, dresses, etc.
Something resembling a fish's fin. The baleen of a whale (? obsolete). Hence, a blade or thin strip of whalebone.