Filabeg

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A traditional Scottish garment resembling a kilt, typically pleated and worn by men ; a type of Highland dress skirt often associated with Scottish culture and heritage ; a historical piece of clothing worn from the waist down, similar to a pleated wrap skirt in Scotland
2. A pleated skirt-like attire from Scotland, commonly part of Highland dress ; a garment worn around the waist, characterized by pleats and traditionally Scottish origins ; traditional male clothing from the Scottish Highlands that resembles a folded and belted kilt
3. A men’s Scottish garment made from cloth pleated and wrapped around the waist, known as part of traditional dress ; a Highland skirt worn in Scotland, usually fastened with a belt and featuring pleats ; a cultural garment from Scotland, similar to a kilt, made by pleating fabric around the lower body

Etymology: The "filabeg" is an alternative spelling of "philibeg," and its name means "little wrap" in Scottish Gaelic. It comes from "fèileadh beag," where "fèileadh" means "wrap" or "fold" and "beag" means "little." The name points to the garment's origin in a larger, full-length wrap, the "fèileadh mòr" or "great kilt," which was a long length of tartan belted around the body and drawn up over the shoulder. The smaller version, the "little" wrap, cut the cloth down to a skirt-like garment around the waist. The "little" in the name marks a contrast with that older, larger form rather than describing size alone. The shorter garment, pleated and fastened at the waist, is the version most people now picture when they think of the Highland kilt, and the "philibeg" name is the older term for it.

Synonyms: kilt, skirt, plaid, tartan garment