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doublet

Etymology and origin of the English word doublet

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdʌblət/[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English,[2][3] from Old French doublet (“something folded or doubled”),[2][4][5][3][6] a diminutive of duble “double”,[2][4][5][3] from Latin duplus (“twofold”).[5] It is related to double.[2][4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A close-fitting garment for the upper body worn by men (1326).[4][7][5]

Semantic evolution

From the 16th to the 18th century doublet and hose was typical male dress (1598).[7][5] From the 1550s the word meant one of two things that are alike,[5] at first of words in the same language that come from the same source by different routes,[5][7] such as shirt and skirt.[2] It also names a throw of two dice showing the same number.[2][3] In science it was applied to a pair of lenses, a double spectral line and a quantum state with two values.[3][1]

Timeline

  • 1326 – a close-fitting garment.[4][7]
  • 1418 – doublet of defence, body armour.[7]
  • 1550s – one of a pair of like things.[5]
  • 1598 – doublet and hose.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A close-fitting jacket, with or without sleeves, worn by European men from the 15th to the 17th century.
  2. A pair of similar or identical things, or one of such a pair.
  3. One of two words that come from the same source by different routes, such as shirt and skirt.
  4. A throw of two dice showing the same number.
  5. A lens made of two components.
  • double
  • duplicate
  • triplet

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Doublet.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/doublet. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·