Attested since the 1610s, from the earlier form _trouzes_ (attested since the 1580s), extended from _trouse_ (1570s), with plural ending typical of things in pairs, from Middle Irish _triubhas_ (“close-fitting shorts”), of uncertain origin. The unexplained intrusive second -r- is perhaps due to the influence of _drawers_.

* (UK) IPA(key): /ˈtɹaʊzəz/ * (US) IPA(key): /ˈtɹaʊzɚz/ * Hyphenation: trou‧sers

TROUSERS (_plural only_) * An article of clothing that covers the part of the body between the waist and the ankles, and is divided into a separate part for each leg. _Why can women wear TROUSERS when men can't wear skirts?_ * 1906, Stanley J. Weyman, _Chippinge Borough_, chapterI: It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid TROUSERS and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar. SYNONYMS * (article of clothing): pants (mainly US); strides (Australia) USAGE NOTES * "Pants" is about four times more common in the US than "trousers", based on use in COCA. * "Trousers" is about nine times more common in the UK than "pants", based on use in BNC. * "Slacks" about one tenth as common as "pants" in the US and "trousers" in the UK. HYPONYMS * jeans * pantaloons * shorts * slacks * See also Wikisaurus:trousers TRANSLATIONS REFERENCES * ^ Etymology of trousers in Online Etymology Dictionary