Why do we call them a pair of pants?

Why do we call them a pair of pants?

“Pair,” from the Latin, means two like things. And pants (pantaloons) were originally two like things. You put them on one leg at a time because they actually came in two pieces. From the beginning, about the 16th Century, pants have been referred to as a pair.

Why is pants a plural word?

From its inception in English, pants has been plural. It’s a shortened adaptation of pantaloons, those tight-like leg coverings worn by pirates and Shakespearean characters. And in those eras of 300 or 400 years ago, before pants were a single entity, pants were actually two separate garments.

Why is pants plural but not shirt?

The pieces were put on each leg separately and then wrapped and tied or belted at the waist (just like cowboys’ chaps). The plural usage persisted out of habit even after the garments had become physically one piece. However, a shirt was a single piece of cloth, so it was always singular.

Do we say pant or pants?

When the word pant was documented as being used to refer to the entire garment in 1893, the term pants was still new enough to be recognized as an abbreviation of the older word pantaloons. Even when the regular word was still pantaloons, singular pant was used to refer to a pantleg.

Is it a pair of pants or pant?

Think of items that are usually referred to in plural—often preceded by “pair of” or something similar, even when there is only one item: pliers, glasses, scissors, sunglasses, tweezers, etc. So, pants is a type of noun that is used only in its plural form, even when there is only one item being discussed.

Is it correct to say a pair of pants?

In U.S. English, two pairs of pants is correct because a pair of pants is a garment for one person and the plural of pair is pairs.

Is a pair of pants singular?

A pair of pants is singular, because pair is singular. Five pairs of pants is plural for the same reason. The noun pants is not used in a singular form without the final “s”. Interestingly, the synonyms for pants follow the same pattern (jeans, shorts, trousers, slacks, etc.).

Are pants always plural?

So, pants is a type of noun that is used only in its plural form, even when there is only one item being discussed.

Is pant leg one word?

Or “pantleg,” if you prefer. While the term often appears as two words, as in M-W, and has also appeared in the past with a hyphen, the Oxford English Dictionary lists the noun as one solid word. The OED says “pantleg” originated in the US and is still “chiefly” North American.

Is it two pair of pants or two pairs of pants?

And here’s Garner’s: “The preferred plural of pair is pairs. In nonstandard usage, pair often appears as a plural.”