petticoat

1 of 2

noun

pet·​ti·​coat ˈpe-tē-ˌkōt 

1

: a skirt worn by women, girls, or young children: such as

a

: an outer skirt formerly worn by women and small children

b

: a fancy skirt made to show below a draped-up overskirt

c

: an underskirt usually a little shorter than outer clothing and often made with a ruffled, pleated, or lace edge

d

archaic : the skirt of a woman's riding habit

2

a

: a garment characteristic or typical of women

b

: woman

3

: something (such as a valance) resembling a petticoat

petticoated

ˈpe-tē-ˌkō-təd 

adjective

petticoat

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or exercised by women : female

Examples of petticoat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But many of the things LeBoeuf has learned while caring for and creating thousands of petticoats, breeches, robes and dresses — ranging in style from Egyptian to Elizabethan — can actually be quite helpful to those of us trying to keep our own, much more boring clothes in decent shape. —Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 11 July 2024

Or perhaps the dalliance between Lady Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and the dashing visitor Lord Anderson (Daniel Francis) will be what curls your petticoats. —Aja Romano, Vox, 16 May 2024

Underneath the pleated silk faille skirt, there was also a smoothing petticoat, a ruffled petticoat, a foundation petticoat and a triangular tulle and lace train insert. —Ariana Quihuiz, Peoplemag, 12 May 2024

According to Scottish tradition, women had to wear a red petticoat while proposing. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English petycote short tunic, petticoat, from pety small + cote coat

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1620, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

petticoat

1 of 2 noun

pet·​ti·​coat ˈpet-ē-ˌkōt 

: a skirt or slip worn under a dress or outer skirt

petticoat

2 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, or controlled by women : female

petticoat government