pantyhose
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of pantyhose
First recorded in 1960–65
Explanation
Pantyhose are sheer tights, a garment that snugly covers your legs. It was once very common for certain jobs to require women to wear pantyhose. You might call pantyhose tights or stockings — this word is uncommon outside of the US, and it's typically used for a particularly thin, sheer hosiery with built-in underwear. Pantyhose were invented in the 1960s, replacing old fashioned knee-high stockings that were held in place with garters. The name pantyhose is a combination of panty, undergarment or underwear, and hose, which is short for hosiery.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For one day a week, employees could jettison their suits and pantyhose and heels and wear… no one was quite sure at first, although Levi’s Dockers played a big role, at least for men.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
Air Force veteran Reality Winner smuggled out a classified report on Russian election hacking by tucking it in her pantyhose.
From Salon • Jun. 30, 2025
Or who sold L'eggs pantyhose or Hertz Rent-a-Car commercials with O.J.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2022
It was where Senga Nengudi debuted her sculptures of stretched-out pantyhose weighted with sand, and where Howardena Pindell first showed her abstract “dot” paintings, composed of paper chads.
From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2022
I already have black pantyhose and my black combat boots.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
