Leotard

This name for one-piece, tight-fitting women’s wear derives from the 19th century French trapeze artist Jules Léotard (1838-1870) who first wore such garments. The first recorded use of leotard as an item of clothing is from 1886, although the OED gives a first citation date from 1934. The song Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze was written by George Leybourne in 1867 as a tribute to Jules Léotard who toured Britain during the 1860s. Léotard died prematurely, aged 32, from some infectious disease, possibly smallpox or cholera.