Close‑fitting stretchy clothing that covers the legs and sometimes the waist and feet, often worn for warmth, fashion, or sports. They are usually made of thin, elastic material.
From 'tight' plus the plural ending, first used in the 18th and 19th centuries for tight‑fitting garments, especially on the legs. The term grew out of earlier phrases like 'tight hose.' The plural form became standard for this type of clothing.
Tights, jeans, and pants are often grammatically plural in English even when they’re one piece of clothing. That’s because they cover two legs, so they were once thought of as 'a pair.' Grammar still remembers the body shape even when fashion changes the fabric.
Tights and similar legwear have been coded as feminine in many cultures, and women and girls wearing them have faced body scrutiny and dress-code enforcement. At the same time, tights are functional athletic wear in dance, gymnastics, and running, where women’s performance has sometimes been overshadowed by commentary on appearance.
Use 'tights' neutrally for clothing, acknowledging that people of any gender may wear them. Avoid using the term to police or sexualize someone’s attire.
["leggings","compression wear","hose (context-dependent)"]
Women and gender-diverse athletes and performers have normalized tights as performance gear rather than purely decorative clothing, challenging narrow ideas of femininity.
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