Loincloths

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An article of clothing worn around the groin, typically consisting of a strip of fabric tied or held in place to provide coverage
2. A simple garment made from cloth, often associated with traditional attire, covering the hips and private areas
3. A piece of fabric designed to drape over the pelvis, commonly used historically in various cultures for modesty or protection

Etymology: "Loincloths" is simply the plural of "loincloth," a compound of "loin" and "cloth." The "loin" element goes back to Old English "lend," which named the fleshy part of the body above the hips, and the same root gave German and Dutch words for the same idea. Across these languages the cloth was named for the region it covered, and the parallel compounds in German (Lendenkleid), Dutch (lendenkleed), Danish (lændeklæde), and Icelandic (lendarklæði) show that the pattern was shared among these related tongues.