A type of close-fitting medieval hose or leg covering, worn by men in the 15th-16th centuries, often brightly colored or patterned.
From Old French 'chausse' or 'calse,' Latin 'calceus' (shoe/stocking). The term appears in late medieval English texts describing men's fashion. Etymology ultimately traces to Latin root meaning 'to cover the leg.'
Medieval men showed off their legs in tight, colorful calsouns—imagine modern men wearing bright neon yoga pants—and fabric patterns were so important that having mismatched calsouns on each leg was actually fashionable.
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