cotillion

English translation: petticoat

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:cotillon
English translation:petticoat
Entered by: Yvonne Gallagher

12:51 Mar 28, 2024
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Textiles / Clothing / Fashion
French term or phrase: cotillion
Hi everyone,

Does cotillion mean petticoat?

Le taffetas se souleva, dévoilant les motifs de la frise à la lisière du cotillon. Il fallait s’approcher pour distinguer la finesse de la broderie.

I currently have:
The taffeta lifted, revealing the frieze pattern at the edge of the petticoat. You had to get close to see the intricate embroidery.

Thank you!
Saliha18
Local time: 21:05
petticoat
Explanation:
it makes sense in the context as in the dance by that name women lift their skirts to show their ankles 9and petticoats)

https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/cotillon

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Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2024-03-30 11:09:35 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to have helped.

This is far from being the garment of "paysannes" Already put these in Dbox but will put here as well

petticoat or underskirt3:38pm 28 Mar Click here to delete your post

I feel "petticoat" fits the style better here, from the bit I've read of this fantasy.
"underskirt" is rather modern to my ears
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petticoat
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cotillon

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Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2024-03-30 11:11:55 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

note that I've removed the "i" for the glossary

"cotillon" is the spelling (though the dance can be spelled with and without the "i")
Selected response from:

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 21:05
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5petticoat
Yvonne Gallagher
3 +3underskirt
Bourth
3petticoat
Roland Johansson
Summary of reference entries provided
fwiw/hth
writeaway

Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
petticoat


Explanation:
t

Roland Johansson
Sweden
Local time: 22:05
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
underskirt


Explanation:
If CNRTL is to be believed
https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/cotillon#:~:text=Culotte ou ...

it's not so much a petticoat, even it is worn beneath another skirt, Cotte, jupe de dessous , as a particular style of skirt, espèce de jupes plissées derrière et sur les côtés.

Lexis defines cotillon (note the spelling) as jupon porté autrefois par les femmes du peuple, and jupon as Pièce de lingerie, maintenue à la taille par une ceinture ou un caoutchouc, qui soutient l'ampleur de la jupe, indicating the original concept (1319) as tunique à manches.

For my old Larousse, it's Jupe de dessous des paysannes.

Bref, it's not easy to know what we're talking about.

Cotte above and the root of cotillon will indeed have given us 'petticoat', and, my ignorance showing, as a petticoat, I have learnt that a petticoat is more than just the frilly bits that, when I was a boy, got girls into a tizz if it was pointed out to them that it was showing, but also:
- A small coat worn by men beneath the doublet
- A garment [unspecified] worn by women, girls and young children, further specified as
a. A skirt as distinct from a bodice, worn either externally or beneath the gown or frock
b. An underskirt
c. The skirt of a woman's riding habit
d. The rudimentary garment worn by women among primitive or uncivilized peoples [cache-sexe?]

Alain Rey's historical dict. gives its derivation from cotte, i.e. an upper-body garment, and mentions that a variant, cotteron was a petite jupe courte et étroite, especially the cotillon de laine porté par les paysannes de la Flandre. Further, it is said Seul le dérivé COTILLON est encore vivant pour n'être pas resté strictement un terme d'habillement : traditionnellement, il désigne une jupe de dessous portée par les femmes du peuple (encore dans les parlers méridionaux …"

On the Ouèbbhe we find an additional complication: Le cotillon est une sorte de jupon apparu au XVIIe siècle. C’est plus précisément une jupe de dessous, qui se porte au-dessus d’un jupon (et en-dessous d’une jupe vous l’aurez compris). Le terme est surtout associé aux paysannes. Le cotillon est encore aujourd’hui une pièce indispensable du costume provençal.

Taffetas seems to suggest something rather more expensive than peasants might wear, but it is possible, these days at least, that the fabric is used for traditional dress, and if it is in a Provençal setting, it is possible that it is the skirt between the petticoat and the outer dress.

So the fuller context might play a part in the decision.

In uncertainty, I would plump for 'underskirt' (as distinct from a slip or petticoat).

Whatever it is, it should be made compulsory attire in these days of energy economy.



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Note added at 4 hrs (2024-03-28 17:37:51 GMT)
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Ah! The question now is whether the use of, first, jupon, then cotillon, is a matter of the 'elegant variation' [Fowler] the French are so fond of, or are they two different things. If a proponent of said elegant variation, and assuming 'petticoat' has been taken for jupon, 'underskirt' might indeed do the trick.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2024-03-28 17:38:30 GMT)
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Bourth
France
Local time: 22:05
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Notes to answerer
Asker: Wow, thank you for such an in-depth response!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  ormiston: Good points.
8 mins

agree  mchd: très juste !
2 hrs

agree  Janice Giffin: and very interesting!
5 hrs
  -> One of the things I love about translation is the myriad of trivia one can learn when researching.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
petticoat


Explanation:
it makes sense in the context as in the dance by that name women lift their skirts to show their ankles 9and petticoats)

https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/cotillon

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2024-03-30 11:09:35 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Glad to have helped.

This is far from being the garment of "paysannes" Already put these in Dbox but will put here as well

petticoat or underskirt3:38pm 28 Mar Click here to delete your post

I feel "petticoat" fits the style better here, from the bit I've read of this fantasy.
"underskirt" is rather modern to my ears
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petticoat
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cotillon

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2024-03-30 11:11:55 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

note that I've removed the "i" for the glossary

"cotillon" is the spelling (though the dance can be spelled with and without the "i")

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 21:05
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 101
Grading comment
Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Roland Johansson
12 mins
  -> Many thanks:-)

agree  Philippa Smith: Yup (without the 'i'), it's in Larousse for example, https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/cotil...
14 mins
  -> Many thanks:-)// and yes, w/o the "i"//in Wikipedia archaic: petticoat https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cotillon

agree  Barbara Carrara
40 mins
  -> Many thanks:-)

agree  Anastasia Kalantzi
54 mins
  -> Many thanks:-)

agree  Emmanuella
5 hrs
  -> Merci:-)
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Reference comments


3 hrs
Reference: fwiw/hth

Reference information:
Plein-Ciel - Google Books Result
google.be
https://books.google.be › books

Siècle Vaëlban, ‎Elsa Roman · 2024 · ‎ Young Adult Fiction
... Le taffetas se souleva , dévoilant les motifs de la frise à la lisière du cotillon . Il fallait s'approcher pour distinguer la finesse de la broderie . On ...

writeaway
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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