Definition of "petticoat" A light woman 's undergarment worn under a dress or skirt , and hanging either from the shoulders or (now especially ) from the waist ; a kind of slip , worn to make the skirt fuller , or for extra warmth . quotations examples
Quotations “Yes , and her petticoat I hope you saw her petticoat six inches deep in mud , I am absolutely certain ; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office .”“Your picture may be very exact , Louisa ,” said Bingley ; “but this was all lost upon me . I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning . Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice .”
1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter VIII, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], pages 76–77
verb third-person singular simple present petticoats , present participle petticoating , simple past and past participle petticoated