BREECHES, noun plural brich'es. [Low Latin braccoe.] A garment worn by men, covering the hips and thighs. It is now a close garment; but the word formerly was used for a loose garment, now called trowsers, laxoe braccoe. To wear the breeches is, in the wife, to usurp the authority of the husband.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI