Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pleat” come from?

Pleat comes from Old French pleit, from Latin plecto meaning to fold or weave, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European plek- and pel-.

pleat (English): A fold in the fabric of a garment, usually a...

Definitions

  1. A fold in the fabric of a garment, usually a...

Ancestry of “pleat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishplaitA flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat; A...
2Middle Englishpleit—
3Middle Frenchplifold
4Middle Frenchplierto fold
5Old FrenchpleierAlternative form of ploiier
6Latinplicāre—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “pleat”

  • pleated
  • repleat
  • pleatless
  • pleater
  • unpleat
  • pleatlike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →