# skirt

Pronunciation: say "SKURT" US /skɚt/, UK /skɜːt/

## Noun

1. A garment that hangs from the waist over the hips and partway down the legs, worn mostly by women and girls as a separate piece.
   - Simple: A piece of clothing, usually worn by women, that hangs from the waist and covers the legs.
   - _A denim skirt and sandals made up her summer outfit._
   - _She hemmed the skirt so it fell just above the knee._
5. The part of a dress, robe, or similar garment that hangs below the waist.
   - Simple: The lower part of a dress that hangs down below the waist.
   - _The skirt of the wedding gown trailed several feet behind her._
   - _Mud splattered the skirt of his long coat._
6. The border, edge, margin, or outermost part of something.
   - Simple: The outer edge or border of something.
   - _The travelers rested on the skirt of the great forest._
   - _New houses spread out toward the skirt of the city._
7. A loose edging of fabric attached to some part of a dress.
   - Simple: A loose strip of cloth added as an edging to part of a dress.
   - _A ruffled skirt of silk edged the neckline of the gown._
   - _She pinned a loose skirt of lace around the cuff._
9. A derogatory slang word for a woman. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude slang word for a woman.
   - _A skirt like her wasn't going to fall for his old tricks._
   - _The detective brushed past, muttering about some skirt who'd lied to him._
10. A petticoat worn as an undergarment beneath a dress.
   - Simple: An undergarment that hangs from the waist beneath a dress, called a petticoat.
   - _Her starched white skirt rustled under the heavy gown._
   - _She layered a flannel skirt under her dress to keep out the cold._
11. British slang for women regarded collectively as objects of sexual interest. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: British slang for women seen together as targets of sexual interest.
   - _He claimed the seaside town was full of skirt in summer._
   - _The pub gets crowded with skirt on Friday nights._
12. British slang for sexual intercourse with a woman. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: British slang for sex with a woman.
   - _He measured a good leave by how much skirt he got._
   - _The older men joked that the new recruit was only after skirt._
13. The diaphragm or midriff: the muscular wall between the chest and the abdomen.
   - Simple: The muscle between the chest and the belly, also called the midriff.
   - _The chef seasoned the skirt and seared it in a hot pan._
   - _Butchers separate the skirt from the inner wall of the carcass._

## Verb

2. To move around or along the border of something, keeping away from its center.
   - Simple: To move along the edge of something instead of through the middle.
   - _The new bypass skirts the village to ease traffic through it._
   - _Hikers skirt the marsh to keep their boots dry._
3. To avoid or ignore something, especially a difficult matter, and manage to get past it without facing it directly.
   - Simple: To avoid dealing with a problem or a question.
   - _The report skirts the real causes of the failure._
   - _Executives skirt blame by pointing to market conditions._
4. To be on or form the border of a place.
   - Simple: To lie along the edge of an area, or to form its border.
   - _Pine forests skirt the northern shore of the lake._
   - _A gravel track skirted the estate's eastern edge._
8. To cover something with a skirt, or to surround it.
   - Simple: To surround something, or cover its lower edge like a skirt.
   - _Flower beds skirt the fountain in the courtyard._
   - _A ring of oaks skirted the meadow._

## Origin

From Middle English skyrte, from Old Norse skyrta, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ. It is a doublet of shirt, and is related to Dutch schort and German Schürze ("apron").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/skirt (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).