petticoat
petticoat Lexical Profile
petticoat Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A light, often ruffled or starched undergarment in the form of a skirt or dress, worn beneath an outer skirt or gown to provide warmth, modesty, or fullness and shape.
"The costume designer added a stiffened tulle petticoat under the velvet gown to give the skirt a fuller silhouette."
In historical dress, a woman's outer or secondary skirt worn with a jacket or open-fronted gown that revealed the decorative fabric beneath, or a short skirt worn by young boys before being breeched.
"Eighteenth-century portraits frequently depict women wearing an embroidered silk petticoat visible beneath a parted robe."
• adjective
Relating to, associated with, or dominated by women (historically used in phrases such as 'petticoat government', often with a dated or mildly disparaging tone).
"Critics of the nineteenth-century regency frequently complained about what they termed petticoat rule at court."
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in the 15th century from Middle English 'petticote' ('petty coat', meaning 'small coat'), the word originally denoted a short, padded waistcoat worn by men beneath a doublet or armor before shifting in the 16th century to refer to a woman's skirt or underskirt.