/ ˈnɪkəz; NAmE -kərz/ noun [ pl. ]
1.
( BrE ) (also pan·ties NAmE , BrE ) a piece of women's underwear that covers the body from the waist to the tops of the legs :
a pair of knickers
2.
( NAmE ) = knickerbockers
► knick·er adjective [ only before noun ]:
knicker elastic
•
IDIOMS
- get your knickers in a twist
—more at wet verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
late 19th cent. (in the sense short trousers ): abbreviation of knickerbockers .