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Pantaloon

3 stages from Italian to English.

Today it means a foolish old man in comedy; (plural) baggy trousers

Where does the word "pantaloon" come from? It comes from Italian Pantalone, passing through French before entering English (1590s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
Pantalone
Italian · 1500s
"Pantalone (a character)"
the miserly Venetian merchant of the commedia dell'arte, named after St Pantaleon, popular in Venice, and dressed in tight trousers
2
Stage 2 of 3
pantalon
French · 1600s
"trousers"
trousers like the character's
3
Stage 3 of 3
pantaloon
English · 1590s
"comic old man; trousers"
Americans shortened 'pantaloons' to 'pants' in the 1840s
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Read the full story

Pantaloon’s story begins in Italian: Pantalone meant “Pantalone (a character).” The miserly Venetian merchant of the commedia dell'arte, named after St Pantaleon, popular in Venice, and dressed in tight trousers. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in French as pantalon. Trousers like the character's. It reached English by 1590s as pantaloon. Americans shortened 'pantaloons' to 'pants' in the 1840s. Today, pantaloon means a foolish old man in comedy; (plural) baggy trousers.