codpiece

noun

cod·piece | \ ˈkäd-ˌpēs

How to pronounce codpiece (audio)

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Definition of codpiece

: a flap or bag concealing an opening in the front of men's breeches especially in the 15th and 16th centuries

Examples of codpiece in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Deacon’s mishmash of bloomers, codpieces, and 16th-century ruffs made of false hair was equal parts Fred Flintstone and Tim Burton. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "The New York City Ballet Hosts a Fall Gala to Remember With Costumes by Gareth Pugh, Alberta Ferretti, and Giles Deacon," 28 Sep. 2018 Other variations on the theme included a black codpiece-cup and a pair of red leather hot pants, all accessorized with pale, hairy limbs. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Are You Ready for the Return of Tighty-Whities? Gucci Sure Is," 25 Sep. 2018 With all the Broadway pizzazz anyone could want, the hilarious Something Rotten! has arrived at the Academy of Music (through March 4) with codpieces blazing and couplets rhyming. — Toby Zinman, Philly.com, "'Something Rotten!' at Academy of Music is something hilarious," 28 Feb. 2018 European men around the same time wore codpieces to advertise their phallic prowess. — John Blake, CNN, "The fall of the sagging pants era is upon us," 20 Oct. 2017 The show begins with a prologue delivered (in Italian, with supertitles) by a commedia dell’arte-style clown in a codpiece (an antic Francesca Sarah Toich), who gleefully describes the transformative power of love. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: A Flock of Shylocks Transforms ‘Merchant of Venice’," 25 Sep. 2017 The Bulge, the Tumor, the codpiece, was the safest place structurally in all of Trump Land by then. — Jeff Vandermeer, Slate Magazine, "“Trump Land”," 10 Feb. 2017 A rare touring drama, a double-dose of the Phantom and Shakespeare in an enormous codpiece highlight the 2017-18 Hennepin Theatre Trust season, announced Monday. — Chris Hewitt, Twin Cities, "Nine musicals and a drama in touring season at Orpheum," 23 Jan. 2017 Ty Lue has instructed all of his players to wear metal codpieces beneath their shorts to increase the likelihood that Draymond Green will have to exit the series with a severe foot injury. — Mike Polk Jr., cleveland.com, "Rational hopes, sick burns and unblocked shots for your NBA Finals pleasure: Mike Polk Jr.," 4 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'codpiece.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for codpiece

Middle English codpese, from cod "bag, scrotum" (going back to Old English codd, akin to Middle Dutch codde "cylindrical piece of wood," Old Frisian kudda "cudgel," Middle Low German kudde, kodde "hog," Old Norse koddi "pillow, scrotum," all from a Germanic base denoting something distended and unevenly shaped) + pese piece entry 1

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The first known use of codpiece was in the 15th century

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