Where does “petticoat” come from?

Petticoat comes from Middle English pety cote, combining Middle English pety from Middle French petit, ultimately from Frankish kotta, a garment term of uncertain origin.

petticoat (English): A tight, usually padded undercoat worn by men...

Definitions

  1. A tight, usually padded undercoat worn by men...

Ancestry of “petticoat”, step by step

petticoat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English petty

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpettyLittle, small, secondary in rank or importance;...
2Middle EnglishpetiAlternative form of pety
3Middle FrenchPetitsmall
4Old Frenchpetitsmall, little; worthless; valueless; poor; of...
5Gallo-Romancepitittus—

via English coat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcoatAn outer garment covering the upper torso and...
2Middle EnglishcoteA coat, especially one worn as an undergarment or...
3Old Frenchcotteovershirt, tunic
4Frankishkottacoat

Words derived from “petticoat”

Every word from Gallo-Romance pitittus →Every word from Old French petit →Every word from Middle French Petit →