Search results
The earliest known use of the word pantywaist is in the 1910s. OED's earliest evidence for pantywaist is from 1910, in the Lima News (Lima, Ohio). pantywaist is formed within English, by compounding.
Jan 3, 2020 · "weak or effeminate male," 1936, from a type of child's garment with short pants that… See origin and meaning of panty-waist.
The noun pantywaist has proven to be more enduring in its figurative meaning — an ineffectual or childish man — than in its original meaning, which was a garment of early 20th century vintage: short pants fastened to a waist band, worn by children.
A pantywaist was formerly a child's undergarment in which a shirt and pants were buttoned together at the waist. Earliest documented use: 1910.
The meaning of PANTYWAIST is a child's garment consisting of short pants buttoned to a waist.
The usual meaning of the word pantywaist is 'an effeminate or weak man or boy; sissy'. Example: "I think my career has shown I'm not exactly a pantywaist" (John Wayne, in a 1971 Playboy interview). The original sense, though, referred to an article of clothing for children.
People also ask
Where does the word pantywaist come from?
What is an example of a pantywaist?
What does panty waist mean?
When was pantywaist first used?
Which expression parallels Pantywaist in using a woman's garment to refer to weak men?
What does panty mean?
Sep 27, 2024 · (informal, especially of a male person) Weak, timid, effeminate, ineffectual. His rough, burly father was mortified by the lad's pantywaist behavior. (informal, dated) An undergarment composed, in part, of panties attached to a waistband. Lace trimmed panty waists —50 cents.
