petticoat

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a light undergarment worn beneath a dress or skirt

   The lace edge of her petticoat showed below the skirt.

Simplified etymology

Petticoat comes from petty coat, literally “small coat.” It first named a close-fitting male undercoat, including one worn beneath a doublet or armor, and later passed to a woman’s undergarment; in the late 15th century it was applied to the contrasting underskirt visible beneath an open-fronted skirt.

From Middle English petticote, petycote, peticote, petite cote, equivalent to petty + coat.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary