Pilches

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Plural of an archaic term for a loose outer garment or wrapping made of flannel or leather, once worn for warmth
2. Old-fashioned warm coverings, typically made of soft flannel or leather, that were draped or wrapped over clothing or an infant
3. Historical outer wraps of thick flannel or leather, used as cloaks or swaddling to keep the body warm

Etymology: "Pilches" is simply the plural of "pilch," a garment that has been around in English for a very long time. The noun descends from Middle English "pilche," which came from Old English "pylċe" or "pyleċe," and that in turn traces back to Late Latin "pellicia," a word built on the Latin for "skin" or "hide." A pilch was a coat or cloak made of animal skins, and its history is a reminder of how early clothing was often literally made from pelts. The word has a close relative in "pelisse," a French-derived term for a fur-lined or fur-trimmed outer garment, and the two are doublets, meaning they descend separately from the same Latin source and reached English by different routes. The English form stayed rooted in its Old English past, while "pelisse" arrived later with a more fashionable continental polish.