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
- plural of breech; API pl; A garment worn by men,...
Ancestry of “breeches”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | breches | — |
| 2 | Old English | brēċ | breeches |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | brōkiz | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | brōks | rear end, rump, hindquarters; leggings, pants,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | brāks | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrāg- | rump, hock, hindquarters |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrēǵ- | to shine, shimmer |
Words derived from “breeches”