Where does “breeches” come from?

Breeches comes from Middle English breche, Old English bryċe, Proto-Germanic brōkiz and brōks, deriving from Proto-Indo-European bʰrāg- and bʰreg-, root forms of uncertain original meaning.

breeches (English): plural of breech; API pl; A garment worn by men,...

Definitions

  1. plural of breech; API pl; A garment worn by men,...

Ancestry of “breeches”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbreches—
2Old Englishbrēċbreeches
3Proto-Germanicbrōkiz—
4Proto-Germanicbrōksrear end, rump, hindquarters; leggings, pants,...
5Proto-Germanicbrāks—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrāg-rump, hock, hindquarters
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer

Words derived from “breeches”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrāg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic brāks →