kirtle
/ˈkəːt(ə)l
/noun archaic
1A woman’s gown or outer petticoat.The Virgin invariably wears a dark blue gown, sometimes over a minever kirtle with plain undergarment, to stress her high status....
- This fabric will be the front of the kirtle with the red linen serving as lining and body of dress.
- Very striking, the balance between the simple solid color of the kirtle and the elegant trim.
1.1A man’s tunic or coat.Men wore hats or caps, a kirtle or knee-length coat, shirt, waistcoat, trousers, woolen stockings, and shoes or high boots....
- Moira, a 45-year-old checkout manager at the local Safeway store, admits her husband would not have the same pride wearing a kilt as the kirtle, the ornate and authentic Viking costume.
- The bowmen were dressed in green kirtles, rather shorter than those of the squires, and wore dark woolen hose; they carried their bows and arrows slung across their shoulders.
Origin
Old English cyrtel, of Germanic origin, probably based on Latin curtus 'short'.