Translated directly from French, “dishabille” means “undressed.” In the 18th century, it was quite “en vogue” (“in fashion”) to borrow French terms, and “en déshabillé” came into English to refer to being scantily clad, or at least dressed carelessly. Originally, the English spelling was phonetic, and we find it in print in various formations: “disabilé,” “disabilly,” “deshabilé,” “dishabilie,” and “dishabilly.” Today, a bit of the French influence remains, but the spelling has been standardized — being in a state of undress is called “being in dishabille.”