partlet

American  

[pahrt-lit] / ˈpɑrt lɪt /

noun

1. a garment for the neck and shoulders, usually ruffled and having a collar, worn in the 16th century.

---

partlet British  

/ ˈpɑːtlɪt /

noun

1. a woman's garment covering the neck and shoulders, worn esp during the 16th century

---

Etymology

Origin of partlet

1510–20; unexplained variant of late Middle English patelet < Middle French patelette strip of cloth, band, literally, little paw, equivalent to Old French pate paw + -lete -let

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

partlet

It was said that the "pinched partlet and puffed sleeves" of a courtier would easily make a lad a doublet and cloak.

From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Earle, Alice Morse

An old dictionary explains that the partlet can be "set on or taken off by itself without taking off the bodice, as can be pickadillies now-a-days, or men's bands."

From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Earle, Alice Morse

Another quaint term, already obsolete when the Mayflower sailed, was partlet.

From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Earle, Alice Morse

Then he goes on to say that a partlet may be goodness knows what else.

From English Costume by Calthrop, Dion Clayton

The pinched partlet made a fine undergarment for the slashed doublet.

From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Earle, Alice Morse