1323: trousers Jul 26, 2018

There are lots of uses for the '-er' suffix, including indicating agents or actions, but other times it is completely coincidental. There are a few cases however, which are a bit harder to discern. One such term is 'trouser', because while there is no word meant by 'trouse' today, there did used to be. Related to the rare word 'trews', which is a Scottish regimental pant, 'trousers' comes from the Scotts 'triubhas'. The '-r' then is clearly not to show agency of any kind, and is instead thought to have been added due to its relation to the word 'drawers'.

Check out the newest Word facts Video: https://youtu.be/gXIq8o668Fw, and give your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordfacts