Definition of "petticoat" [pet•ti•coat]

• A woman's slip or underskirt that is often full and trimmed with ruffles or lace. Also called pettiskirt. (noun)
• Something, such as a decorative valance or flounce, that resembles a woman's underskirt. (noun)
• Slang Female; feminine. (adjective)
• Slang Of, relating to, or carried out by women. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The petticoat is very easy to make, too ... just cut the fabric to the right length (front & back piece), stitch sides, add lace at the bottom, sew a casing at the top for elastic & then add elastic & stitch opening closed!"
• "The modern Greek male costume is often called a petticoat or a tutu."
• ""I wonder," she said, slipping on a quilted green satin petticoat with pink rosebuds embroidered on it, "whether Shakespeare began being a poet like that – just little odd lines coming into his head without him meaning them to.""