Dictionary Definitions

[Improv1]

I stumbled upon this definition earlier today. Not the best I have ever read.

Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.

kilt, kilts (nn.)

Kilt is the standard singular form of the name of the Scottish man’s skirt, although, on analogy with pants and trousers, it is frequently heard from Americans as kilts even when modified by a singular his. One bagpiper wears his, a, or the kilt, not kilts; the members of a pipe band wear kilts (or the kilt). Scottish-Americans usually insist on kilt, not kilts; courtesy suggests that you do the same.

or

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

kilt

PRONUNCIATION: klt
NOUN: 1. A knee-length skirt with deep pleats, usually of a tartan wool, worn as part of the dress for men in the Scottish Highlands. 2. A similar skirt worn by women, girls, and boys.
TRANSITIVE VERB: Inflected forms: kilt·ed, kilt·ing, kilts
To tuck up (something) around the body.
ETYMOLOGY: From kilt, to tuck up, from Middle English kilten, of Scandinavian origin.

I'm not really pleased with either defintion. The American Heritage defintion of skirt includes the line 2. A garment hanging from the waist and worn by women and girls.
Some things never change!

[Richland]

I agree, not the best way to describe "The kilt" I will be doing a bit of complaining to publishers. I hope others do the same.

[KiltedKnight]

Am I missing something? What is wrong with the definition? It seems accurate enough.

Chris.

[johnnym]

I think I would modify to "A knee-length garment with deep pleats, similar to a skirt" etc. After all a kilt is not a skirt.

[mudd]

I think I would modify to "A knee-length garment with deep pleats, similar to a skirt" etc. After all a kilt is not a skirt.

It's NOT?

[slohairt]

Dia Dhuit!

It would be better to say that all kilts are skirts but not all skirts are kilts!

[McClef]

Exactly so Slohairt!

[Wompet]

Merriam-Webster:
kilt (noun) -
1: a knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan worn by men in Scotland and by Scottish regiments in the British armies
2: a garment that resembles a Scottish kilt

Italics mine.
Does this definition satisfy? It was written by a descendent of Scots, after all (Webster being a sept of MacFarlane).

[McClef]

Well it implies that only men in Scotland wear them...

[Nick]

From "The Devil's Dictionary," by Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), a book written for "enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, wit to humour, and clean English to slang."


KILT-a costume sometimes worn by Scotchmen in America and Americans in Scotland.