pants

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Dictionary.com Unabridged

verb (used without object)

to breathe hard and quickly, as after exertion.

to gasp, as for air.

to long with breathless or intense eagerness; yearn: to pant for revenge.

to throb or heave violently or rapidly; palpitate.

to emit steam or the like in loud puffs.

Nautical. (of the bow or stern of a ship) to work with the shock of contact with a succession of waves. Compare work ( def 24 ).

verb (used with object)

to breathe or utter gaspingly.

noun

the act of panting.

a short, quick, labored effort at breathing; gasp.

10.

a puff, as of an engine.

11.

a throb or heave, as of the breast.

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English panten < Middle French pant(a)is(i)er < Vulgar Latin *phantasiāre to have visions < Greek phantasioûn to have or form images. See fantasy

Related forms

pant·ing·ly, adverb

un·pant·ing, adjective

Synonyms
1. puff, blow. Pant, gasp suggest breathing with more effort than usual. Pant suggests rapid, convulsive breathing, as from violent exertion or excitement: to pant after running for the train. Gasp suggests catching one's breath in a single quick intake, as from amazement, terror, and the like, or a series of such quick intakes of breath, as in painful breathing: to gasp with horror; to gasp for breath. 3. thirst, hunger.

adjective

of or pertaining to pants: pant cuffs.

noun

pant leg.

pants ( defs 1, 2 ).

Origin:
1890–95; singular of pants

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To pants

Collins

World English Dictionary

pant (pænt)

—vb (often foll by for)
1.	to breathe with noisy deep gasps, as when out of breath from exertion or excitement
2.	to say (something) while breathing thus
3.	to have a frantic desire (for); yearn
4.	(intr) to pulsate; throb rapidly

—n
5.	the act or an instance of panting
6.	a short deep gasping noise; puff

[C15: from Old French pantaisier, from Greek phantasioun to have visions, from phantasiafantasy]

pants (pænts)

—*pl n*
1.	(Brit) an undergarment reaching from the waist to the thighs or knees
2.	Also called: trousers a garment shaped to cover the body from the waist to the ankles or knees with separate tube-shaped sections for both legs
3.	informal bore the pants off to bore extremely
4.	informal scare the pants off to scare extremely

—*adj*
5.	slang (Brit) inferior

[C19: shortened from pantaloons; see pantaloon]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

pant

c.1440, perhaps a shortening of O.Fr. pantaisier "to be out of breath" (12c.), probably from V.L. *pantasiare "be oppressed with a nightmare, struggle for breathing during a nightmare," lit. "to have visions," from Gk. phantasioun "have or form images, subject to hallucinations," from phantasia "appearance,

image, fantasy" (see phantasm). The noun is attested from c.1500.

pants

1840, see pantaloons. Colloquial sing. pant is attested from 1893. To wear the pants "be the dominant member of a household" is first attested 1931. To do something by the seat of (one's) pants "by human instinct" is from 1942, originally of pilots, perhaps with some

notion of being able to sense the condition and situation of the plane by engine vibrations, etc.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

pant (pānt)
v. pant·ed, pant·ing, pants
To breathe rapidly and shallowly.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

pants

In addition to the idiom beginning with pants, also see ants in one's pants; beat the pants off; caught with one's pants down; get the lead out of (one's pants); kick in the pants; seat of the pants; talk someone's arm (pants) off; wear the pants.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

pants

an outer garment covering the lower half of the body from the waist to the ankles and divided into sections to cover each leg separately. In attempting to define trousers, historians often explain that if any portion of a garment passed between the legs, it was an ancestor of the trousers. Thus defined, trousers can be traced to ancient times as worn, for example, by the Scythians, Persians, Japanese, and Hindus

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source

Example sentences

Students started hiding gloves in their clothing, only to have shirts and pants

torn off by rivals.

He wore his traveller's pants: the legs unzipped so that the slacks became

shorts.

She did not own a pair of pants, and her legs were buried to the calf in snow.

He pants, holds a knife, stares down at an ex-con's body.