Braies are a type of trouser worn by Celtic and Germanic tribes in antiquity and by

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...

subsequently into the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. In the later Middle Ages they were used exclusively as undergarments. Braies generally hung to the knees or mid-calf, resembling what are today called shorts. They were made of leather, wool, or, in later years, cotton or

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

. They were adopted by the Romans as '' braccae''. By the 11th century, ''Braies'' were ankle-length pants held in place by a cord fitted through the top. People from upper classes wore more fitting braies while people of the lower classes typically wore loose braies.

Etymology

Braies stems from , but is etymologically related to many other European words for pants, including the English word breeches. Braies via Old French originate from , plural of ''braca'' (also spelled ''braccae''), referring to the shapeless pants worn by the Ancient Gauls, which in turn is borrowed from

Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...

''brāca'', of Germanic origin. Etymologically akin to (such as in the nickname Ragnar Lodbrok, "Ragnar Shaggy-braies"), or ''brōc'' (plural: ''brēc''), , , , etc.

References

Undergarments Medieval European costume {{clothing-stub