Early 17th century: from archaic trouse (singular) from Irish triús and Scottish Gaelic triubhas (see trews), on the pattern of drawers.

• Scottish Highlanders and Irishmen once wore a trouse or trouses, a kind of knee-length shorts whose name came from Irish triús or Scottish Gaelic triubhas. The same words gave us trews (mid 16th century), once similar to the trouse but now close-fitting tartan trousers as worn by some Scottish regiments. In the early 17th century people started calling the trouse trousers, on the analogy of drawers (probably from their being things that you pull or draw on). Until the end of the 18th century men in Europe wore tight breeches—looser trousers were adopted by the working classes during the French Revolution, and the style imported to Britain by dandies like Beau Brummell. The dominant member of a married couple wears the trousers now, and has done since the 1930s, but long before that the phrase was wear the breeches, recorded from the 16th century. See also pants, tweezers