kilt

IPA/kɪlt/
KK[kˈɪlt]IPA/kɪlt/

kilt — noun

  • kiltsingular
  • kiltsplural

1. a traditional garment made from tartan woollen cloth, with deep folds stitched a

1.nounB1
Definition

a traditional garment made from tartan woollen cloth, with deep folds stitched around the body, reaching from the waist to just above the knee, forming part of the formal and ceremonial attire of Scottish men for centuries.

Example

Liam wore his grandfather's tartan kilt to the family wedding in Edinburgh.

collocation: wear a kilt to an event

The bagpiper's green-and-blue kilt swung from side to side as he marched.

Common collocations
  • tartan kilt
  • woollen kilt
  • wear a kilt
  • kilt and sporran
  • traditional Scottish kilt
Synonyms
  • tartan kilt

    emphasizes the checked pattern of the cloth

  • Highland dress

    broader term that includes the kilt plus accessories such as a sporran and jacket

Usage Note

Because a kilt is a culturally specific garment rather than an everyday clothing item, it is most commonly used with the verbs 'wear', 'put on', and 'take off'. The word 'tartan' refers to the checked pattern of the cloth, and different Scottish families have their own tartans.

Common Mistakes

He wore a kilt with a zipper.
A traditional kilt is fastened with straps, not a zipper.
modern fashion kilts may have zippers, but traditional kilts use leather straps and buckles.
She bought a Scottish kilt skirt.
She bought a Scottish kilt.
the word 'kilt' already describes the garment; adding 'skirt' is unnecessary.

kilt — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Although a kilt is a type of skirt, the three terms are not interchangeable. A 'kilt' is specifically a knee-length, pleated garment made from tartan — a woollen cloth woven in a checked pattern in which the stripes cross at right angles — and is traditionally worn by men in Scotland. A 'tartan skirt' can be any skirt made from tartan fabric; it may be short, long, straight, or flared, and it is not limited to traditional male dress. A 'pleated skirt' describes only the construction — folds pressed or stitched in — and can be made from any fabric without any Scottish cultural connection. 'Highland dress' is the broadest term and includes the kilt along with accessories such as a sporran (a leather pouch worn at the front), a kilt pin, a jacket, and special socks. So if someone says 'He wore a kilt,' the image is clear and culturally specific; if they say 'She wore a tartan skirt,' the garment could look very different.

kilt ↗tartan skirtpleated skirtHighland dress

Common collocations

Nouns

  • kilt pin
  • kilt hose
  • kilt maker

Phrases

  • wear a kilt
  • put on a kilt
  • take off a kilt
  • belt of a kilt

Prepositions

  • in a kilt
  • of a kilt

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishScotsEnglish

The word 'kilt' comes from the Scots verb 'kilt', meaning to tuck up or fold (a garment), which entered Scots from Middle English 'kilten' (to tuck up). The Middle English word probably came from Old Norse 'kjalta', meaning to fold over or tuck. The noun sense — the garment itself — appeared in the early 1700s, referring to the short pleated skirt that Highlanders wore as part of their traditional dress, originally by tucking the long belted plaid up to knee height. The connection between the verb and the noun is the same folding action.