petticoats

Noun

petticoat (plural petticoats)

1. (historical) A tight, usually padded undercoat worn by women over a shirt and under the doublet.
2. (historical) A woman's undercoat, worn to be displayed beneath an open gown.
3. (historical) A fisherman's loose canvas or oilcloth skirt.
4. (archaic, historical) A type of ornamental skirt or underskirt, often displayed below a dress; chiefly in plural, designating a woman's skirts collectively.
5. 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.
   • “Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office.”
   • “Your picture may be very exact, Louisa,” said Bingley; “but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice.”1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter VIII, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, pages 76–77
6. (slang) A woman.

See all 9 meanings of petticoat