Why is a pair of trousers called a pair




















Email address:. The first theory has to do with the time when pantaloons were actually made out of two items. You see, before being made the way we know them today, pants were actually consisted of two separate legs that were secured at the waist. The second theory is a bit more confusing and comes from the word pants itself.

Plurale tantum nouns are usually items that can be divided into two even though there are only one item : binoculars, glasses, scissors, tweezers, sunglasses, pliers etc. Pantalone, instead of wearing garments that came to the knee like most men at the time, he wore long legs that came down to his ankles.

Widget not in any sidebars. Latest Popular Hot Trending. Menu Ever Wonder Why? Myth or Fact? Subscribe Email address:. In later use drawers, or knee-breeches. So it seems that even if "trousers" generally refers to a single garment, it derives from terms that are reasonably described as plural.

The origin appears to be from the late 16th century "trouzes", from of trouse: the plural form was typically used to refer to things in pairs. Trousers :. It appears to be of Celtic origin and its second "r" was probably influenced by words in pair endings like drawers. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. What is the etymology of a pair of trousers Ask Question. Asked 4 years, 6 months ago. Active 1 year, 1 month ago. Viewed 5k times. Germanic trousers of the 4th century found in the Thorsberg moor, Germany The oldest known trousers, including this roughly 3,year-old pair with woven leg decorations, belonged to nomadic horsemen in Central Asia. Improve this question.

Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Peter Shor Peter Shor In the immortal words of the Bard - "Once more into the breeches, dear friends! I notice in the article, they're very careful not to call them trousers , only ever calling them "trousers" in quotes. Otherwise, they call them leggings, which makes sense for them to be in two pieces. The word trousers itself is also linked to " trouse. Trousers : "garment for men, covering the lower body and each leg separately," s, earlier trouzes s , extended from trouse s , with plural ending typical of things in pairs, from Gaelic or Middle Irish triubhas "close-fitting shorts," of uncertain origin.

Early recorded use of the word indicates the garment was regarded as Celtic: "A jellous wife was like an Irish trouze, alwayes close to a mans tayle" []. The unexplained, unetymological second -r- is perhaps by influence of drawers or other words in pairs ending in -ers.

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