knickerbocker

 
Pronunciation: /ˈnɪkəbɒkə/

noun

  • 1 (knickerbockers) loose-fitting breeches gathered at the knee or calf.
  • 2 (Knickerbocker) informal a New Yorker.
  • a descendant of the original Dutch settlers in New York.

Derivatives

knickerbockered

adjective

Origin:

mid 19th century (originally in knickerbocker (sense 2)): named after Diedrich Knickerbocker, pretended author of W. Irving's History of New York (1809). knickerbocker (sense 1) is said to have arisen from the resemblance of knickerbockers to the knee breeches worn by Dutch men in George Cruikshank's illustrations in Irving's book