farthingale Hear it!

farthingale definition

far·thin·gale (fär′t̸hiŋ gāl′)

noun

  1. a hoop, openwork frame, or circular pad worn under the skirt, about the hips, by women in the 16th and 17th cent.
  2. the skirt or petticoat worn over this

Etymology: OFr verdugalle, farthingale < Sp verdugado, provided with hoops, farthingale < verdugo, young shoot of a tree, rod, hoop < verde < L viridis, green

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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