The Modern Kilt Was Designed in the 1720s
A kilt is a pleated knee-length garment. The familiar short version is more recent than most assume.
A kilt is a knee-length pleated garment of tartan cloth, traditionally worn by Scottish men. The older garment was the *féileadh mòr*, a single length of cloth belted at the waist with the surplus thrown over the shoulder. The short kilt, cut and sewn as a separate garment, appears in the 1720s — a practical adaptation, and far younger than the tradition it represents. The word is Scandinavian, from a verb meaning to tuck up clothing.
- A pleated garment. *A tartan kilt.*
- To tuck up. *Kilted skirts.*
- Féileadh mòr — the older form. *The great kilt.*
- Sporran — the pouch worn with it. *A sporran.*
- Scandinavian — to tuck up. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | kilt | A kilt. |
| Plural | kilts | Kilts. |
| Verb | kilt | Kilted. |
| Related | tartan | Tartan. |
| Related | sporran | A sporran. |
- He wore a kilt to the wedding.Dress.
- The great kilt came first.History.
- The word means to tuck up.Etymology.
Clan tartans are a later invention
- Early tartans reflected the local weaver and available dyes
- Fixed clan patterns were largely codified in the nineteenth century
- The 1822 royal visit to Edinburgh drove much of the standardisation
- Commercial weavers published pattern books assigning setts to names
- The garment is old, the clan system of patterns much newer
Of Scandinavian origin, related to Danish *kilte*, to tuck up, recorded in English from the 1700s.
How old is the modern kilt?
The short sewn kilt appears in the 1720s. The older garment was a single length of cloth belted at the waist.
Are clan tartans ancient?
The specific clan patterns were largely codified in the nineteenth century, though tartan weaving itself is far older.