trunk hose

American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. full, baglike breeches covering the body from the waist to the middle of the thigh or lower, sometimes having the stockings attached in one piece, worn by men in the 16th and 17th centuries.

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trunk hose British  

noun

1. a man's puffed-out breeches reaching to the thighs and worn with tights in the 16th century

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Etymology

Origin of trunk hose

First recorded in 1615–25

Example Sentences

Ford recounts how, in the same year that Walweyn was arrested, Thomas Bradshaw was marched home through the streets with his trunk hose deflated and de-poofed, the stuffing torn out.

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2021

A pair of velvet trunk hose covered his clown's tights.

From The Man Who Laughs by Hugo, Victor

The first, whose clothes are of white silk sewn with red and blue, whose trunk hose have clocks of silk sewn on them, reminds us of whom?

From English Costume by Calthrop, Dion Clayton

They were sometimes made of a series of wide bands of different colours placed alternately; sometimes they were of bands, showing the stuffed trunk hose underneath.

From English Costume by Calthrop, Dion Clayton

Men wore their coats cut somewhat after the same shape: their trunk hose were tight, but round the waist they were puffed out.

From Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by Jacob, P. L.