knee breeches

plural noun

1. breeches ( def 1 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of knee breeches¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Even the word “oratory,” from our postmillennial point of view, seems outdated, the rhetorical equivalent of knee breeches and frock coats.

From Washington Post

John Quincy Adams was the first president to ditch knee breeches for long pants on his big day, in 1825.

From Washington Post

But this isn’t the architectural equivalent of requiring federal workers to wear knee breeches and a tricorn hats.

From Washington Post

He is wearing a black gown and not a wig or knee breeches or silk stockings like those in the other portraits.

From Washington Post

Bercow has dispensed with the traditional knee breeches, silk stockings and wig.

From Washington Post