Knickers

Knickers

Noun (plural) · /ˈnɪkəz/

Definition

Women's or girls' underwear covering the lower trunk and sometimes the upper legs. In British English, the standard everyday term for this garment. Also used as an exclamation of mild frustration or dismissal.

Origin

Mid 19th century: short for knickerbockers, loose breeches gathered below the knee. Named after Diedrich Knickerbocker, the fictional Dutch author in Washington Irving's 1809 history of New York. The garment evolved and the word shortened over time.