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5 dictionary results for: Petticoat
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
pet·ti·coat 
[pet-ee-koht] Pronunciation Key
[pet-ee-koht] Pronunciation Key –noun
–adjective
| 1. | Also called pettiskirt. an underskirt, esp. one that is full and often trimmed and ruffled and of a decorative fabric. |
| 2. | any skirtlike part or covering. |
| 3. | a flounce or valance fitting around the sides of a bed, couch, or chair, as to conceal the legs. |
| 4. | Informal. a woman or girl. |
| 5. | of, pertaining to, or controlled by women; female; feminine: petticoat government. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| pet·ti·coat
(pět'ē-kōt') Pronunciation Key
n.
adj. Slang
[Middle English peticote : peti, small; see petty + cote, coat; see coat.] pet'ti·coat'ed adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
petticoat
petticoat
1412, pety coote, lit. "a small coat," from petty + coat. Originally a padded coat worn by men under armor, applied 1464 to a garment worn by women and young children. By 1593, the typical feminine garment, hence a symbol of female sex or character.
"Men declare that the petticoatless female has unsexed herself and has left her modesty behind." ["Godey's Magazine," April 1896]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Petticoat
Pet"ti*coat\, n. (Zo["o]l.) [Petty + coat.] 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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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