Standard Lemma guide

petticoat

adj · noun · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈpɛt.ɪ.kəʊt/
  • Canada, US: /ˈpɛt.ɪ.koʊt/
  • Canada, US: [ˈpɛɾ.ɪ.koʊt]
  • Australian: /ˈpet.ɪ.kəʉt/
  • Australian: [ˈpeɾ.ɪ.kəʉt]
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • obsolete: /ˈpɛtɪkət/
  • CMU ARPABET: P EH1 T IY0 K OW2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Feminine; female; involving a woman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, not-comparable

Examples

  • petticoat influence
  • a petticoat affair

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A tight, usually padded undercoat worn by women over a shirt and under the doublet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A woman's undercoat, worn to be displayed beneath an open gown.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A fisherman's loose canvas or oilcloth skirt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A type of ornamental skirt or underskirt, often displayed below a dress; chiefly in plural, designating a woman's skirts collectively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A light woman's undergarment worn under a dress or skirt, and hanging either from the shoulders or (now especially) from the waist; a kind of slip, worn to make the skirt fuller, or for extra warmth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A woman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A bell-mouthed piece over the exhaust nozzles in the smokebox of a locomotive, strengthening and equalising the draught through the boiler-tubes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To dress in a petticoat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

undergarment worn under a skirt

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: half-slip, underskirt

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: undergarment, unmentionable

Narrower terms: crinoline

History

Etymology

From Middle English petticote, petycote, peticote, petite cote, equivalent to petty + coat.

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: cotillon — historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt
  • German: Petticoat — historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt
  • Irish: cóta beag — historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt
  • Italian: sottogonna — historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt
  • Polish: halka — historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt
  • Scottish Gaelic: còta-bàn — historical: ornamental skirt or underskirt
  • Bengali: শায়া (śaẏa) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Bulgarian: фу́ста (fústa) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 襯裙 /衬裙 (chènqún) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Czech: spodnička — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Danish: underskørt — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Danish: underkjole — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Esperanto: subjupo — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Finnish: alushame — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • French: jupon — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • French: combinaison — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Galician: refaixo — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Galician: biso — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Galician: enagua — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • German: Unterrock — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • German: Petticoat — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Greek: μεσοφόρι (mesofóri) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Hungarian: alsószoknya — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Ingrian: aluhame — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Irish: cóta beag — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Italian: sottoveste — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Japanese: ペチコート (pechikōto) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Ladino: faldar — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Latin: castula — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Māori: panekoti — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Polish: halka — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Portuguese: anágua — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Russian: ни́жняя ю́бка (nížnjaja júbka) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Russian: комбина́ция (kombinácija) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Scottish Gaelic: còta-bàn — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Serbo-Croatian: по̀дсукња — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Serbo-Croatian: pòdsuknja — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Slovak: spodnička — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Slovak: spodničky — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Spanish: enaguas — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Spanish: tontillo — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Spanish: combinación — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Spanish: fondo — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Spanish: fustán — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Spanish: peticote — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Spanish: sayuela — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Swedish: underkjol — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Tagalog: nagwas — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Telugu: లోలంగా (lōlaṅgā) — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Volapük: nijuüp — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Volapük: disgun — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Welsh: pais — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt
  • Welsh: peisiau — woman's undergarment worn under a skirt