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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.


trunk hose British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of trunk hose

First recorded in 1615–25

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.

See Examples For:

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

He had dressed himself in his best doublet, green trunk hose, and pointed shoes, and had strung and unstrung his bow full a score of times.

From Robin Hood by Wyeth, N. C. (Newell Convers)

A doublet of yellow satin, with trunk hose of the same—the latter fringed at the bottoms with silk ribbons, tipped with tags of gold.

From The White Gauntlet by Reid, Mayne

He was disguised as a forester with leathern jerkin and trunk hose, his long hair cropped, and his hands blackened.

From English Villages by Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)

In this composition, Paris, in trunk hose, is carrying off the fair Helen pickaback, notwithstanding the evident clamor raised by the assembled court ladies, who are attired in very full skirts and mediaeval headdresses.

From Legends of the Middle Ages Narrated with Special Reference to Literature and Art by Guerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline)

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