Have you ever wondered about the etymology of the word “pants”? I mean, we all say, “Let me get my pants on,” and “Pull your pants up.” You’re really wearing a pair of pants, or are you? I’m wearing one pants. One plural pants.
The word pants is what’s known as the pair phenomenon. It’s like binoculars. It’s a pair of binoculars but it’s really just one binoculars. I bet you’re wearing your glasses too! Another pair.
The word pants comes from pantaloons, after Pantalone, a stock comedic character in 16th Century Italian theater always depicted as a foolish old man wearing short, baggy pants.
Here’s a very funny post about the word pants, and how it makes Star Wars better.
Gotta admit, I do love words.
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Yup always wondered why they’re plural.
Grits is according to, I believe, Bailey White. There are, in all languages peculiarities-irregular verbs come to mind. Why is enough pronounced enuff but bough is bow(more or less)?
I love etymology and learned yesterday that the “buttery” was a place to store drinks and a pantry, the office of the pantler was for bread. Pan being a romance language root for bread (almost Indo-European). So why buttery for drinks? Buttermilk, milk? Or from the Norman-French boit? No! according to wikipedia(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttery_%28room%29) (okay, I know) because it was whence the yeoman of the buttery served beer from the wooden butts[1] standing by to those lower members of the household not entitled to drink wine. Why it was also candle storage and handing out I do not know!
For pants, I wonder if it was related to a stocking, which were part of the hose men wore divided into the upper parts and the lower or nether. Since there were two parts to what was worn and having derived from pantaloon which may have been part of the hose it could explain the plural. But then why slacks and trousers? For glasses well there are two lenses attached to each other as a pair. Binoculars should really be a pair of monoculars. Sometimes it is just that in other languages rom which the word derives an s doesn’t signify a plural a vowel does. But most words in English do not end in vowels so we may have tacked those esses on simply so we don’t sound Roman or Latinate.
Is it a pant leg or a pant’s leg or a pants’ leg??
Who knows, but I am certain that many a PhD has rested upon those pairs.
Sorry about the misplaced italics above.
They should have ended at “bow” and resumed for buttery and pantry.
Hilarious link. I had to read it twice to confirm that yes, they left out “may the pants be with you”. Shocking.
Oh, I know, Yoshi. I was so shocked! Actually may the ‘shorts’ be with you is even better - Spaceballs.
Hi Steph. I like the word buttery. I think we should all rename our pantries the buttery.
Two pant legs, Amber…appairently! LOL!
forgetting the etymology, Ishbel does, Rules with an Iron fist, word is law, and do I complain NO well not when she is in earshot anyway
I love this!! The Star Wars Pants post - hilarious!!
Oh Casey, I thought it was a kick!
Funny post. Love it. We share yet another weakness, Julia. I’ve spent hours of my life lost in dictionaries, following odd trails and marveling at the tricks people play with language.
A PAIR of pants-two leggings worn separately and fastened to a belt around the waist (which is why the men wore LONG belted shirts and why many Native American men wore breech clouts. For the NA men, their winter leggings were attached to the same “belt” that held up their clout. Eventually, the two pieces were sewn up the middle and about that time the men started wearing the exaggerated cod pieces… And of course they no longer had a PAIR of anything… Where I grew up, we always used the entire expression. That’s a nice pair of pants.
Yes, Anny, a nice pair of pants. But it’s still a double positive!
I love language, Jaye. Yiddish is one of my favorites because it is so colorful.
I love learning where words come from.