Stockings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Close-fitting legwear crafted from stretchy fabric that provides both aesthetic appeal and warmth during colder seasons
2. Tight garments that cover the legs, often made of elastic material, serving both a decorative and practical role in fashion
3. Garments worn closely on the legs made from a thin, elastic fabric often used for warmth or style

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "stockings" is that the word has almost nothing to do with the modern garment's stretch or fashion. It is the plural of "stocking", and the singular was once a plural itself: Middle English "stocken" was the old plural form, which later got reanalysed as a singular, a process called a corruption of the old plural "-en". The root goes back to Old English "stocc", meaning a trunk or stump of a tree, and the same root gave English "stock" in the sense of a log or post. The link from tree trunk to clothing runs through the idea of covering. "Stock" developed the sense "cover with material", and "stocking" in that sense named the covering of the leg, with the "-ing" ending turning the verb into a noun. Early stockings were therefore simply something that covered the limb, and nothing in the word refers to elastic or to nylon, which came much later as materials changed.

Synonyms: hose, socks, tights, legwear, hosiery