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.

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partlet British  

/ ˈpɑːtlɪt /

noun

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

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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

The neck of the gown, cut low and square, showed the partlet of fine linen pleated to the neck.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 4 "Coquelin" to "Costume" by Various

He heard his name and looked back; had he first recognized the kindly voice he would not have turned, but fled, like a partlet at sight of the hawk, from Parson Tombs.

From John March, Southerner by Cable, George W.

But alas! a fair, white partlet has torn his crest out, and he shall crow no more.

From Hyperion by Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth

The angels minister to the tyrants; or the gentle, hen-pecked husband cowers before the superior partlet.

From The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh by Thackeray, William Makepeace

Hence partlet, a hen, on account of the ruffled feathers, a term used alike by Chaucer and Shakespeare.

From Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature by Bardsley, Charles W.