Skirt

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /skɜːt/

Definitions

1. A garment worn from the waist down by women or girls ; to move around the edge of an area or object, often to avoid it ; the bordering or outer part of a surface or space
2. An article of clothing covering the lower body typically worn by females ; to circumvent or bypass by going along the border ; the perimeter or boundary surrounding something
3. A piece of clothing that hangs from the waist and covers part of the legs ; to pass along or evade by following the outline ; the fringe or margin that encircles a place or object

Etymology: Skirt and shirt are the same word that split in two. Both descend from a Proto-Germanic form, "skurtijǭ", meaning "apron" or "skirt", which came from "skurtaz", "short" or "deficient", ultimately from a root meaning "to cut off". The English word arrived from Old Norse "skyrta", a garment name that also gave Icelandic and Swedish their words for "shirt". Middle English speakers borrowed it in its Norse form, and it kept the sense of a loose outer garment, while "shirt" came down through Old English as the undergarment. The sense of the word shifted over time. The "short" idea in its root suggests a garment cut short, which fits the older meaning of a cut-off piece of cloth. English eventually reserved "skirt" for the lower part of a dress or a separate garment, and it now covers any lower-body clothing that hangs from the waist.

Synonyms: dress, gown, frock, kilt, wrap

Antonyms: trousers, pant, shorts