chaps

[ chaps, shaps ]
See synonyms for chaps on Thesaurus.com
noun(used with a plural verb)
  1. a pair of joined leather leggings, often widely flared, worn over trousers, especially by cowboys, as protection against burs, rope burns, etc., while on horseback.

Origin of chaps

1
1810–20, Americanism; short for chaparajos

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for chaps

chaps

/ (tʃæps, ʃæps) /


pl n
  1. leather overalls without a seat, worn by cowboys: Also called: chaparejos, chaparajos

Origin of chaps

1
C19: shortened from chaparejos

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012