Leather coverings worn over pants to protect the legs, often worn by cowboys or motorcyclists.
From Spanish 'chaparreras,' derived from 'chaparro' meaning scrub or brush, reflecting the original purpose of protecting legs from thorny brush in ranching work.
Cowboys adopted chaps from Mexican vaqueros, and the word literally traveled north across the border—it's one of many English words borrowed from Spanish in the American West, including 'lasso,' 'rodeo,' and 'mustang.'
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