Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “smallclothes” come from?

smallclothes (English) comes from English clothes, from Middle English cloþes, from Middle English cloþ, from Old English clāþ, from Proto-Germanic klaiþą, from Proto-Indo-European gleyt-, from Proto-Indo-European gley-, from Proto-Indo-European gel- — to be cold, to freeze.

smallclothes (English): Knee-length breeches, worn especially in the 18th...

Definitions

  1. Knee-length breeches, worn especially in the 18th...

Ancestry of “smallclothes”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclothesItems of clothing; apparel; plural of cloth; The...
2Middle EnglishcloþesAlternative form of clothes
3Middle EnglishcloþAlternative form of cloth; cloth, garment
4Old Englishclāþcloth, clothes, covering, sail
5Proto-Germanicklaiþącloth
6Proto-Indo-Europeangleyt-to cling to, cleave, stick
7Proto-Indo-Europeangley-to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick...
8Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →