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Added 9 October 2026

kirtle

/ˈkəːt(ə)l/ noun

Latin root: curtus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about kirtle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A garment resembling a tunic that was worn by men in the Middle Ages.
A long dress worn by women.

Origin

From Middle English kirtel, from Old English cyrtel, cognate with Old Norse kyrtill (“tunic”) (whence Icelandic kyrtill, Danish kjortel (“gown, tunic”), Swedish kjortel (“petticoat, skirt”)), from Old Norse *kurtil-, supposedly a diminutive of *kurt-, from Latin curtus (“short, shortened”). Compare German Kittel.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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