breeches
Meanings
- plural of breech
- A garment worn by men, covering the hips and thighs; smallclothes.
- Trousers; pantaloons.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- Proto-Germanic *brōks Proto-West Germanic *brōk Old English brōc Old English brēċ Middle English brek Middle English breches English breeches From Middle English breches, brechen pl, a variant of Middle English breche, brech, brek (“breeches”), from Old English brēċ (“underpants”), the plural of brōc (“legging, buttocks”), from Proto-West Germanic *brōk, from Proto-Germanic *brōks (“crotch, legging, trousers”). Akin to West Frisian broek (“leggings, over-trousers”), Dutch broek (“pair of trousers, underpants, long-johns”), obsolete German Bruch (“pair of hose, leggings, pants trousers”), Old Norse brók (“breeches”) (whence Danish brog); compare Latin brācae ( > French braies, Spanish bragas) which is immediately of Celtic origin, yet ultimately borrowed from the same Proto-Germanic source above. Compare brail.