Breeches
/ˈbrɪtʃɪz/noun
A pair of short trousers or close-fitting pants, especially for men, worn from the waist to just below the knee.
Did you know?The singular form of the Old English ancestor, *brēc*, originally meant a garment for the legs and buttocks, and its deep Germanic root is also behind modern words like break and breach.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bherg-
“to break, separate”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brōkiz
“leggings, trousers”
Old English
OE
brēc
“garment for the legs; breeches”
Old Norse
ON
brók
“trousers, breeches”
Middle English
ME
breches
“breeches, short trousers”
Modern English
English
breeches
“short trousers or close-fitting pants”