FARTHINGALE

farthingale

(noun) a hoop worn beneath a skirt to extend it horizontally; worn by European women in the 16th and 17th centuries

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

farthingale (plural farthingales)

(historical) A hooped structure in cloth worn to extend the skirt of women's dresses; a hooped petticoat.

Synonyms

• hoop skirt

Source: Wiktionary


Far"thin*gale, n. Etym: [OE. vardingale, fardingale, fr. OF. vertugale, verdugade, F. vertugade, vertugadin, from Sp. verdugado, being named from its hoops, fr. verdugo a young shoot of tree, fr. verde green, fr. L. viridis. See Verdant.]

Definition: A hoop skirt or hoop petticoat, or other light, elastic material, used to extend the petticoat. We'll revel it as bravely as the best, . . . With ruffs and cuffs, and farthingales and things. Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

2 April 2025

COVERT

(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.

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