men's close-fitting knee breeches of the 18th and 19th centuries
smallclothes in American English
(ˈsmɔlˌkloʊz; ˈsmɔlˌkloʊðz)
plural noun
closefitting knee breeches worn during the 18th cent.
smallclothes in American English
(ˈsmɔlˌklouz, -ˌklouðz)
plural noun
1. Brit
small, personal items of clothing, as underwear, handkerchiefs, etc.
2.
knee breeches, esp. the close-fitting ones worn in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries
Word origin
[1625–35; small + clothes]This word is first recorded in the period 1625–35. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cabaret, etch, functional, officiate, substratum