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codpiece

 - 4 dictionary results

cod⋅piece

[kod-pees]
–noun
1. (in the 15th and 16th centuries) a flap or cover for the crotch in men's hose or tight-fitting breeches, usually matching the costume and often decorated.
2. Obsolete. penis.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME. See cod 2 , piece
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cod·piece   (kŏd'pēs')   
n.  A pouch at the crotch of the tight-fitting breeches worn by men in the 15th and 16th centuries.

[Middle English codpece : cod, bag, scrotum (from Old English codd, bag) + pece, piece; see piece.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

codpiece 
1460, "a bagged appendage to the front of the breeches; often conspicuous" [OED], from O.E. codd "a bag, pouch," in M.E., "testicles."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

codpiece

pouchlike addition to men's long hose, located at the crotch, worn first in the 15th century. It came into fashion with hose that were like tights and continued to be worn with breeches, or trousers. An earlier, narrower form of codpiece, worn with a belt or loincloth instead of hose or tights, was the basic fashion for men in the Aegean area during the Bronze Age.

Learn more about codpiece with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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