A piece of clothing that covers the body from the waist to the ankles, with a separate part for each leg.
From Irish *triubhas* or Scottish Gaelic *triubhas*, a kind of close‑fitting garment, altered in English under the influence of *drawers* and *breeches*. It became the standard British English term for pants.
The word’s tangled history shows how clothing fashions travel—Gaelic legwear ended up naming modern office pants. In British English, “trousers” is neutral, but in American English it sounds slightly formal or old‑fashioned compared to “pants.”
Trousers were long coded as male attire in many cultures, and women who wore them often faced legal or social sanctions. Over time, women’s adoption of trousers became a symbol of challenges to rigid gender norms and workplace discrimination.
Use ‘trousers’ or ‘pants’ without assuming the wearer’s gender; avoid framing them as inherently masculine or feminine clothing.
["pants","slacks"]
Recognize women and gender-nonconforming people who challenged dress codes that restricted access to work, politics, and public space.
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