'Tights' in other languages

Thank you very much Geraden for having saved this list from Tights-Excite for posterity.

Quote : "Some scripts may not be displayed on your computer if they have not been installed."

I just got a brand new computer. I installed no new font ever since and my computer has been perfectly capable of displaying chinese, greek, hebrew, japanese and russian words without any problem. So I believe it will be the same on any other computer. Please other readers report any trouble that you may have had.

Now my personal comments that I think had no justification to be included in Geraden's list. If not, please Geraden update your list and remove my corresponding comment. As I am french, I will especially emphasize the french-speaking words but I also will keep an eye on the other languages. As the reader may notice, the frontier between two languages is not always "waterproof". It often happens that one language borrows a word from another, sometimes with an alteration of the original meaning.

As the reader may know, two languages are spoken in Belgium : french and dutch (also german, but it is anecdotic). As always in such a situation, it happens that a language spoken in that country influences the other one. This is the case in the french-speaking part of Belgium (in the south) : if the regular french word "collant" is generally understood, french-speaking belgians most of the time use the dutch "panty" for "tights". "Panty" also exists in french from France but it means that sort of lingerie laced shorts worn by ladies under a skirt a long time ago.

It is to be noticed that the word "bas-culotte" used in Quebec is the copycat translation of the american "pantyhose".

The word "collant" is also used in italian with the same meaning than in french. It tends to replace the official italian word "calzamaglia" which looks nowadays outdated and no longer in use.

"Collant" has also been borrowed from french by portuguese. However, the meaning is different : "collant" is used for "leotard" in english. Please let me make an off-topic comment. One day, the now deceased french actor Philippe Léotard passed the custom in a british airport. One british custom guard made fun of him because of his family name. The guard didn't know that the leotard is named after the inventor of this piece of garment, actually an ancestor of Philippe Léotard.

It is adventurous to tell what is the norm for the word "tights" in the spanish-speaking world. In fact, so many varieties of spanish exist all over south america that it is difficult to say what is the official term and what is not. The word used in Peru may be different in Mexico, which in turn may differ from the term used, say, in Argentina and so on. For convenience and concision, I believe Geraden would have referred to spanish from Spain, which is the spanish language that is understood all over the spanish speaking world.

The text seems to be nearly the same colour as the background for me. I have to highlight it to be able to see the text at all...

Smoov

Pantyhose - it was a pleasure to discuss this topic with you – thank you for your comment.

I think that readers with state of the art PCs running Windows XP may be in the same fortunate position as yourself, though it would be truly amazing if every script were installed. Amharic? Tamil? Quenya? My own PC is 15 months old and runs Windows 2000. The Cyrillic, Greek, Chinese and Hebrew characters display correctly (but grrr at editing right to left!); the Japanese characters display sometimes and not others. Korean will not display at all. I think I have manually installed several of these scripts, plus the special Eastern European characters.

Your comments about languages are correct in my experience. I find the topic fascinating, though I am not by any means a linguist.

Borrowings from neighbouring languages are common. Driving through Wales as I have done quite a bit recently, I am struck by some of the bilingual signs: 'Cwrs golff' is 'golf course' and so on. The Welsh have obviously borrowed the English word 'tights' and turned it into 'deits'. (I think in certain circumstances it would actually be 'teits', as Welsh is well-known for changing certain initial letters according to a grammatical rule.)

Of course what is correct in one community would be incorrect in another community allegedly speaking the same language. An American holds his pants up with suspenders and wears his vest outside his shirt. A Brit holds his trousers up with braces and wears his vest inside his shirt, though he may wear a waistcoat outside. It is the same with other languages, as you have pointed out.

The word for 'tights' that is used in Spain may well be different from that used in Mexico or Peru. If any of my readers can differentiate for me, I would receive information gratefully and incorporate it into the list.

And if anyone can let me have the word for 'tights' in any other language from Albanian to Zulu, I would like to hear from you.

Finally, in response to Smoov - I have just discovered that the table displays Ok in IE but that when I use Firefox I get the problem you describe. It is something to do with the way CSS is interpreted, I think. I have put in a quick and dirty fix.

Geraden

Hi Geraden and others,

Thank you for including my story on your blog!

What a funny list! I have tried to find some missing languages, but I think your list covers all main European languages. But there are two exceptions: Belarussian and Ukrainian, but I can't find a dictionary on the web to check the thing. Maybe the phrases for tights are the same as in Russian. And in Russia there are hundreds of different local or ethnic languages spoken. Do they use the same phrase 'kolgotki' or do they have their own words?

What is 'tights' in Latin? What do the Vatican cardinals say when they buy a new pair of tights?

Regards,

Kaj

Hi Kaj

Thank you. Yes, I thought that the list was fun!

Hmm - Latin, that is a thought. I don't know whether the cardinals wear tights. There seems no need, since cassocks reach to foot level. Maybe the Vatican Swiss Guard do, though?

But it is often reported that the first people to wear tights were Roman soldiers on duty in the cold climes of Germania. The Romans considered it to be a measure of the barbarity of the barbarians that they had their legs covered by 'hosen' - the word that has come down to us today.

One way or another there should be a Latin word or words for 'tights', but at present I do not know what they might be.

Any suggestions for a word for 'tights' in Latin, or any other languages?

Geraden

Hello Geraden,

As you talked about Welsh, here is the word "tights" in another celtic language (Breton). Brittany is this region in the western part of France that has kept its celt tradition. The word "tights" is said in breton "loeroù-bragoù". The "où" at the end denotes that the word is always a plural. Translated back into english, it means "stockings-panties".

You said that you were "by no means" a linguist. Nor do I am one, but let's say I am "by little means" one, if you pardon me this expression. I like languages. As you said, it is fascinating. I could write here pages and pages about the subject, but then I would digress somewhat. A comment that would have been initiated in talking about tights would finish in commenting the history of european people and other off-topic subjects. ;-)

Hello Geraden, Most often in Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia is: Hulahopke or less: čarape sa gaćicama, meaning: stocking with panties najlon čarape is just: Nylon stockings In Slovenia: hlačne nogavice

Hi Pantyhosecro

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for your correction, and for the Slovenian version. It would be interesting to hear whether many women (and) men wear tights in your part of the world.

Geraden

Hi Geraden!

Some time ago, I also compiled a list, but with the words of tights and stockings in other languages. But, I think that your list is better than mine. Firstly, because your list has got more languages than mine. Secondly, because your list is better ordered.

I will tell you some words more. Sometimes, in Basque, pantyak is credited as pantiak, because letter y is not very common in this language, but pantyak it's also accepted. In Catalan, they say pantis. In Spanish, despite it is not very common, I have also seen pantymedias written.

Well, if I get any new word I will tell you.

Cheerio!

Hi Kabeas - thank you for the information. G.

Hi Geraden! It's me again, I know some other words for saying pantyhose in other languages.

In basque, it is also said "Galtzerdi luzeak". However, I've got one doubt with praka estuak because "praka" means trousers and "estuak" tight, so "praka estuak" means tight trousers. Could you tell me were have you seen? It's just for curiosity because I'm basque speaker.

In Spanish, pantyhose it's also said "Pantys", it's a word which it's acepted by the RAE (Royal Spanish Academy).

And finally, I want to tell you a Galician word for saying pantyhose, it's the same word as in Spanish, "Pantys"

Thanks.

Great! What a useful dictionary! Thanks

Interesting subject. I'd like to make a minor correction: in Portugal, tights are mostly referred to as "collants" (as in the French word), and less frequently as "meias-calças" (you got that correct). In all my years of age I never heard the term "malhas" as tights. (By the way, you may want to correct the spelling of the word "Portuguese" and add the missing "u" ;-) ). In case you're interested in adding another language to your list, in Mirandês (the second official language of Portugal) tights are also referred to as "meias-calças".

Thank you, Lusitano - I have included your information now.

Are there any more contributions on this thread? There must be more languages out there!