Where does “smalls” come from?

smalls (English) comes from English Small, from Middle English smal, from Old English smæl, from Proto-West Germanic smal, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.

smalls (English): Underwear; Small goods; The preliminary...

Definitions

  1. Underwear; Small goods; The preliminary...

Ancestry of “smalls”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSmallNot large or big; insignificant; few in number
2Middle EnglishsmalSmall, miniscule; Little, few, scarce; Ground...
3Old Englishsmælnarrow, slim; not broad; slender; not thick;...
4Proto-West Germanicsmalsmall
5Proto-Germanicsmalazsmall
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal-
smalls — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer