Etymology Map
Back to all words

Trousers

3 stages from Scottish Gaelic to English.

Today it means an outer garment covering each leg separately from waist to ankle

Where does the word "trousers" come from? It comes from Scottish Gaelic triubhas, passing through English before entering English (1610s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
triubhas
Scottish Gaelic · 1500s
"close-fitting trousers"
close-fitting tartan leg-wear of the Highlands (Irish triús); its deeper origin is uncertain
2
Stage 2 of 3
trews
English · 1560s
"tartan trousers"
after Culloden, the Dress Act of 1746 banned Highland dress, trews and kilts included, until its repeal in 1782
3
Stage 3 of 3
trousers
English · 1610s
"two-legged outer garment"
the -ers ending copies 'drawers'; long trousers pushed out knee breeches in men's fashion in the Regency years around the 1810s
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Trousers’s story begins in Scottish Gaelic: triubhas meant “close-fitting trousers.” Close-fitting tartan leg-wear of the Highlands (Irish triús); its deeper origin is uncertain. By 1560s, the word had taken hold in English as trews. After Culloden, the Dress Act of 1746 banned Highland dress, trews and kilts included, until its repeal in 1782. It reached English by 1610s as trousers. The -ers ending copies 'drawers'; long trousers pushed out knee breeches in men's fashion in the Regency years around the 1810s. Today, trousers means an outer garment covering each leg separately from waist to ankle.