PETTICOAT

petticoat, half-slip, underskirt

(noun) undergarment worn under a skirt

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

petticoat (plural petticoats)

(historical) A tight, usually padded undercoat worn by men over a shirt and under the doublet.

(historical) A woman's undercoat, worn to be displayed beneath an open gown.

(historical) A fisherman's loose canvas or oilcloth skirt.

(archaic or historical) A type of ornamental skirt or underskirt, often displayed below a dress; chiefly in plural, designating a woman's skirts collectively.

A light woman's undergarment worn under a dress or skirt, and hanging either from the shoulders or (now especially) from the waist; a kind of slip, worn to make the skirt fuller, or for extra warmth.

(slang) A woman.

(historical) A bell-mouthed piece over the exhaust nozzles in the smokebox of a locomotive, strengthening and equalising the draught through the boiler-tubes.

Synonyms

• underskirt

Verb

petticoat (third-person singular simple present petticoats, present participle petticoating, simple past and past participle petticoated)

(transitive) To dress in a petticoat.

Adjective

petticoat (not comparable)

(dated) Feminine; female; involving a woman.

Source: Wiktionary

Pet"ti*coat, n. (Zoöl.) Etym: [Petty + coat.]

Definition: A loose under-garment worn by women, and covering the body below the waist. Petticoat government, government by women, whether in politics or domestic affairs. [Colloq.] -- Petticoat pipe (Locomotives), a short, flaring pipe surrounding the blast nozzle in the smoke box, to equalize the draft.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition