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Definition of petticoat - 4 dictionary results

pet⋅ti⋅coat

[pet-ee-koht]
–noun
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.
–adjective
5. of, pertaining to, or controlled by women; female; feminine: petticoat government.

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME petycote. See petty, coat


pet⋅ti⋅coat⋅less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pet·ti·coat   (pět'ē-kōt')   
n.  
  1. A woman's slip or underskirt that is often full and trimmed with ruffles or lace. Also called pettiskirt.

  2. Something, such as a decorative valance or flounce, that resembles a woman's underskirt.

adj.   Slang
  1. Female; feminine.

  2. Of, relating to, or carried out by women.


[Middle English peticote : peti, small; see petty + cote, coat; see coat.]
pet'ti·coat'ed adj.
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

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
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Encyclopedia

petticoat

in modern usage, an underskirt worn by women. The petycote (probably derived from the Old French petite cote, "little coat") appeared in literature in the 15th century in reference to a kind of padded waistcoat, or undercoat, worn for warmth over the shirt by men. The petticoat developed as a piece of women's apparel-a skirt worn under an overgown-at the end of the Middle Ages. By the beginning of the 16th century, the overgown had an inverted V opening, and the petticoat, now visible, was brocaded or embroidered

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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