Hose
/hoʊz/noun
A flexible tube for carrying liquids or gases, or a leg covering once worn as clothing.
Did you know?English hose comes from an old Germanic word for a leg covering, while the modern “pipe for water” sense was borrowed later from a different source, so one spelling masks two separate histories.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*husą
“A covering for the legs or feet”
Old English
OE
hōs
“Leg coverings, trousers, stockings”
Middle English
ME
hose
“Leggings or stockings, often worn in pairs”
16th Century
Dutch
hose
“A tube or pipe for conveying water”
Modern English
English
hose
“A flexible tube for liquids or gases; also a leg covering in historical or dialect use”