Britches
/ˈbrɪtʃɪz/noun
An informal or dialectal word for breeches or trousers.
Did you know?Britches is a later pronunciation and spelling variant of breeches, whose ancestor was an ancient plural garment word used for trousers worn by Celtic and Germanic peoples.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic or early Germanic period
Celtic/Germanic
*brāk- / *brōk-
“A reconstructed term associated with leg coverings or trousers; its exact ultimate origin is uncertain.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
brācae
“Trousers or breeches, a foreign garment associated by Romans with Celtic and northern European peoples.”
Old English
Old English
brēc
“Breeches or trousers; grammatically a plural form referring to a pair of garments.”
Middle English
Middle English
breches
“Breeches or trousers, continuing the inherited plural form.”
16th–17th Century
English
britches
“A colloquial pronunciation and spelling variant of breeches.”
Modern English
English
britches
“Informal or dialectal trousers, especially in expressions such as “too big for your britches.””