hosiery
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of hosiery
Explanation
When you want to cover your legs, whether with socks or tights, what you need is hosiery. Shopping for stockings? Just ask the salesclerk, "Which way is the hosiery department?" Hosiery is a fairly old-fashioned word for socks and stockings as a group. You'll still see it in some department stores that have an entire section dedicated to foot- and leg-covering garments, although sometimes it's called "legwear." Hosiery comes from an even more old-fashioned word, hosier, "maker or seller of hose."
Vocabulary lists containing hosiery
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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Butterfly Yellow
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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.
“I work in fashion, where vanity is very high,” said Auth, 33, a senior account manager for Wolford, a luxury lingerie and hosiery brand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Landing on Netflix’s title page for “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” automatically plays a clip of the titular psychopath wearing a dress, wig and hosiery while nimbly dancing to a merry ragtime tune.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2025
She built a mini empire, opening her own boutiques as well as producing bridal clothes, shoes, hosiery, ties, knitwear, cosmetics and perfumes.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2022
A year in and the Shriers started fielding requests for hosiery to go with heels, so they hand-dyed stockings in vivid colorways.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
“I really hope it’s an abandoned hosiery mill. Oh! Or maybe a raccoon-infested bus station!”
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
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.
