petticoat

[ pet-ee-koht ]

See synonyms for petticoat on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called pettiskirt . an underskirt, especially one that is full and often trimmed and ruffled and of a decorative fabric.
any skirtlike part or covering.

a flounce or valance fitting around the sides of a bed, couch, or chair, as to conceal the legs.
Informal: Sometimes Offensive. a woman or girl (usually used facetiously).

adjective

Informal: Sometimes Offensive. of, relating to, or controlled by women; female; feminine: petticoat government.

Origin of petticoat

First recorded in 1375–1425, petticoat is from the late Middle English word petycote.See petty, coat

usage note For petticoat

In reference to a female, this term is usually used for humorous effect, but is sometimes perceived as insulting or demeaning to women.

Other words from petticoat

pet·ti·coat·less, adjective
un·der·pet·ti·coat, noun

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

How to use petticoat in a sentence

Few others who wear petticoats in lifeboats get the chance to do what Grace attempts: save her own life.
Book Bag: How to Survive—Five Stories About Unlikely Survivors | Claire Cameron | February 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
She even kills a Yankee soldier who is invading her war-ravaged home of Tara, an act that barely ruffles her petticoats.
What Makes a Bestseller? | James W. Hall | March 27, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
There are also plenty of scenes of them ripping through bodices and petticoats to have sex.
How Lincoln Emancipated the Jews | Celia McGee | April 7, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
Those muddy ankles and petticoats are not fit to be seen—there, now you are sweeping the pavement.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
This woman, who was a sort of Jacques Collin in petticoats, evaded the police, thanks to her disguises.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe

It was not until they had gone that she remembered that Harvey had always called the Scots men in women's petticoats.
The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts Rinehart
The bosom which was naked in Paris has here at least some covering, and there is even some appearance of petticoats.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808 | Lt-Col. Pinkney
No petticoats ought to be worn, but merino drawers, and easy trousers of the same stuff as the rest of the habit.
Horsemanship for Women | Theodore Hoe Mead

British Dictionary definitions for petticoat

petticoat

/ (ˈpɛtɪˌkəʊt) /

noun

a woman's light undergarment in the form of an underskirt or including a bodice supported by shoulder straps
informal
- a humorous or mildly disparaging name for a woman
- (as modifier): petticoat politics

Origin of petticoat

C15: see petty, coat

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

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