partlet
UK/ˈpɑːtlət/
partlet noun: a hen (originally in the form Dame Partlet).
Noun (1)
partlet (plural partlets)
- A hen (originally in the form Dame Partlet).
- How now, dame Partlett the hen?c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
Noun (2)
partlet (plural partlets)
- A covering for the neck and upper chest, originally worn by both sexes, but later especially by women to cover a low neckline.
- On 1 February 1505, he ordered a new set of clothes for prince: an arming doublet of black satin, with fashionable detachable sleeves, and with it an arming partlet or under-collar […]2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 189
- A black witch known as Mother She was going along Front Street toward the store, a frail bent shape in black partlet with cane laboring brokenly through the heat.1979, Cormac McCarthy, Suttree, Random House, page 65
Forms of partlet
| plural | partlets |
|---|
Origin of partlet
Origin unknown; perhaps a diminutive form of pert, or from its habit of ruffling the feathers round its neck; see Etymology 2 below.
Origin unknown. Possibly from the mediaeval French name Pertelote.
Questions about partlet
- What does partlet mean?
- Partlet means a hen (originally in the form Dame Partlet).
- What part of speech is partlet?
- Partlet is a noun.
- How do you pronounce partlet?
- Partlet is pronounced /ˈpɑːtlət/ (UK).
- What is the plural of partlet?
- The plural of partlet is partlets.
Words near partlet in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: partlet (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “partlet.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/partlet. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.