panties

the word 'panties' is a diminutive and plural form derived from 'pants', itself a shortening of 'pantaloons'. 'Pantaloons' entered english from french 'pantalon', which was borrowed from italian 'pantalone', the name of a stock character in commedia dell'arte known for wearing tight trousers. the suffix '-ies' is a common english plural marker, often used with words ending in '-y' or, as here, to form a familiar or diminutive plural for a garment. thus, the term evolved from a specific character's name for trousers to a general term for leg-covering garments, and finally specialized to refer to a specific, intimate article of women's clothing.

Structure: pant (garment) + ies (plural suffix) pant: origin: shortened from 'pantaloons', from french 'pantalon', from italian 'pantalone', named after a character in italian comedy. role: root, denoting a type of garment. ies: origin: middle english, from old english plural suffix '-as' and old french plural suffix '-es'. role: inflectional suffix forming the plural of nouns.