Dictionary

petticoat en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɛtɪkət/ (obsolete)
• [ˈpeɾ.ɪ.kəʉt] (Australia)
• /ˈpɛt.ɪ.kəʊt/ (UK)
• /ˈpet.ɪ.kəʉt/ (Australia)
• (Australia) audio
• [ˈpɛɾ.ɪ.koʊt] (Canada, US)
• /ˈpɛt.ɪ.koʊt/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

From Middle English petticote, petycote, peticote, petite cote, equivalent to petty + coat.

Meanings

1. (dated, not-comparable) Feminine; female; involving a woman.
   • a petticoat affair
   • Phœb[us]. Know you the Reaſon of this preſent Summons? […] / Merc[ury]. And Venus may know more than both of us, / For 'tis ſome Petticoat Affair I gueſs. 1690, [John] Dryden, Amphitryon; or, The Two Sosia’s. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […]; and M. Tonson […], published 1691, →OCLC, Act I, page 1:
   • petticoat influence

petticoat en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɛtɪkət/ (obsolete)
• [ˈpeɾ.ɪ.kəʉt] (Australia)
• /ˈpɛt.ɪ.kəʊt/ (UK)
• /ˈpet.ɪ.kəʉt/ (Australia)
• (Australia) audio
• [ˈpɛɾ.ɪ.koʊt] (Canada, US)
• /ˈpɛt.ɪ.koʊt/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

From Middle English petticote, petycote, peticote, petite cote, equivalent to petty + coat.

Meanings

1. (historical) A tight, usually padded undercoat worn by women over a shirt and under the doublet.
2. (historical) A woman's undercoat, worn to be displayed beneath an open gown.
3. (historical) A fisherman's loose canvas or oilcloth skirt.
4. (archaic, historical) A type of ornamental skirt or underskirt, often displayed below a dress; chiefly in plural, designating a woman's skirts collectively.
5. A light woman's undergarment worn under a dress or skirt, and hanging either from the shoulders or (now especially) from the waist; a kind of slip, worn to make the skirt fuller, or for extra warmth.
   • “Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office.” “Your picture may be very exact, Louisa,” said Bingley; “but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice.” 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter VIII, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, pages 76–77:
6. (slang) A woman.
7. (historical) A bell-mouthed piece over the exhaust nozzles in the smokebox of a locomotive, strengthening and equalising the draught through the boiler-tubes.

Forms

Deriveds

petticoatlike · petticoat breeches · petticoat pipe · petticoat punishment · underpetticoat · pettipants · pettiloon · fairy petticoats · petticoatery · petticoatless · petticoat discipline · petticoat tail · petticoat government · pettiskirt · petticoating · petticoated

Synonyms

underskirt

Translations (53)

gl biso (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · ga cóta beag (historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt) · tl nagwas (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · de Unterrock (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · ru комбина́ция (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · fr combinaison (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · hu alsószoknya (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · it sottoveste (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · cs spodnička (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · da underskørt (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · vo nijuüp (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · sk spodnička (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · pl halka (historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt) · sv underkjol (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · es fondo (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · gd còta-bàn (historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt) · ja ペチコート (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · cy pais (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · bn শায়া (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · es tontillo (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · es enaguas (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · bg фу́ста (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · sh по̀дсукња (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · cy peisiau (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · sh pòdsuknja (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · es sayuela (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · mi panekoti (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · cmn 襯裙 /衬裙 (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · izh aluhame (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · ru ни́жняя ю́бка (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · eo subjupo (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · te లోలంగా (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · gd còta-bàn (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · de Petticoat (historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt) · es fustán (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · gl refaixo (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · da underkjole (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · vo disgun (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · la castula (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · el μεσοφόρι (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · es peticote (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · gl enagua (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · es combinación (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · fi alushame (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · it sottogonna (historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt) · de Petticoat (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · lad faldar (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · pl halka (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · pt anágua (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · sk spodničky (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · ga cóta beag (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · fr jupon (woman's undergarment worn under a skirt) · fr cotillon (historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt)

petticoat en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɛtɪkət/ (obsolete)
• [ˈpeɾ.ɪ.kəʉt] (Australia)
• /ˈpɛt.ɪ.kəʊt/ (UK)
• /ˈpet.ɪ.kəʉt/ (Australia)
• (Australia) audio
• [ˈpɛɾ.ɪ.koʊt] (Canada, US)
• /ˈpɛt.ɪ.koʊt/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

From Middle English petticote, petycote, peticote, petite cote, equivalent to petty + coat.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To dress in a petticoat.

Forms