- breeches
- c.1200, a double plural, from O.E. brec "breeches," which already was pl. of broc "garment for the legs and trunk," from P.Gmc. *brokiz (cf. O.N. brok, Du. broek, Dan. brog, O.H.G. bruoh, Ger. Bruch, obsolete since 18c. except in Swiss dialect), perhaps from PIE base *bhreg- (see break). The P.Gmc. word is a parallel form to Celt. *bracca, source (via Gaulish) of L. braca (cf. Fr. braies), and some propose that the Gmc. word group is borrowed from Gallo-Latin, others that the Celtic was from Germanic. Expanded sense of "part of the body covered by breeches, posterior" led to senses in childbirthing (1670s) and gunnery ("the part of a firearm behind the bore," 1570s). As the popular word for "trousers" in English, displaced in U.S. c.1840 by pants. The Breeches Bible (Geneva Bible of 1560) so called on account of rendition of Gen. iii.7 (already in Wyclif) "They sewed figge leaues together, and made themselues breeches."
- sans-culotte
- "lower-class republican of the French Revolution," 1790, from Fr., lit. "without breeches;" see sans + cullotes. Usually explained as referring to the class whose distinctive costume was pantalons (long trousers) as opposed to the upper classes, which wore culottes (knee-breeches), but this is not certain.
- cullotes
- "a divided skirt," 1911, from Fr. cullote "breeches," a dim. of cul "bottom, backside," from L. culus. Earlier, in the singular cullote, it was used to mean "knee-breeches" (1842).
- brail
- small rope used on ships, mid-15c., from O.Fr. brail, earlier braiel "belt, leather thong," from L. bracale "waistbelt," from bracæ "breeches" (pl., see breeches).
- braggart
- 1570s, from Fr. bragard (16c.), with pejorative ending (see -ard) + M.Fr. braguer "to flaunt, brag," perhaps originally "to show off clothes, especially breeches," from brague "breeches" (see bracket). There may be an element of codpiece-flaunting in all this. The word in English at least has been influenced by brag, even if, as some claim, it is unrelated to it.
- bracket
- 1570s, bragget, probably from M.Fr. braguette "codpiece armor" (16c.), from a fancied resemblance of that article to architectural supports (Sp. cognate bragueta meant both "codpiece" and "bracket"), dim. of brague "knee pants," ultimately from Gaulish *braca "pants," itself perhaps from Germanic (cf. O.E. broc "garment for the legs and trunk;" see breeches). The sense might reflect the "breeches" sense, on the notion of two limbs or of appliances used in pairs. The typographical bracket is first recorded 1750, so called for its resemblance to double supports in carpentry. Senses affected by L. brachium "arm."
- toga
- c.1600, from L. toga "cloak or mantle," related to tegere "to cover" (see stegosaurus). The outer garment of a Roman citizen in time of peace; toga prætexta had a broad purple border and was worn by children, magistrates, persons engaged in sacred rites, and later also emperors; toga virilis, the "toga of manhood," was assumed by boys at puberty. Breeches, like the word for them (L. bracae) were alien to the Romans, the dress of Persians, Germans and Gauls, so that bracatus "wearing breeches" was a term in Roman geography meaning "north of the Alps." College fraternity toga party popularized by movie "Animal House" (1978), but this is set in 1962.
- breech
- "back part of a gun or firearm," 1570s, from sing. of breeches (q.v.).
- codpiece
- 1460, "a bagged appendage to the front of the breeches; often conspicuous" [OED], from O.E. codd "a bag, pouch," in M.E., "testicles."
- tights
- 1827, "tight-fitting breeches," from tight. Meaning "skin-tights worn by dancers, acrobats, etc." is attested from 1836.
- britches
- 1905, from britch (1620s), an old variant of breeches.
- Chaucer
- family name, from O.Fr. chaucier "maker of chausses," from O.Fr. chauces "clothing for the legs, breeches, pantaloons, hose" (related to case (2)). M.E. chawce was a general term for anything worn on the feet.
- lederhosen
- 1937, from Ger., lit. "leather trousers" (see leather and hose). Leather shorts worn in Alpine regions. O.E. had cognate leðerhose. Ger. hosen displaced O.H.G. bruch (see breeches), the basic Gmc. word for "trousers."
- pantaloons
- 1661, "kind of tights" (originally a Fr. fashion and execrated as such by late 17c. Eng. writers), associated with Pantaloun (1590), silly old man character in It. comedy who wore tight trousers over his skinny legs, from It. Pantalone, originally San Pantaleone, Christian martyr, a popular saint in Venice (Pantaleone in the comedies represents the Venetian). The name is of Gk. origin and means "all-compassionate." Applied to tight long trousers (replacing knee-breeches) by 1798; pants is a shortened form first recorded 1840.