What does kilt mean?
A kilt is a knee-length, pleated garment associated especially with Scottish Highland dress. Although it resembles a skirt, a kilt is conventionally worn by men and is usually made from patterned tartan fabric. It is commonly accompanied by a sporran, a pouch attached at the waist, along with items such as a kilt pin, hose, and garters. The word is also used more broadly for pleated tartan garments, including styles worn by women. As a distinctive element of traditional Highland clothing, the kilt carries strong associations with Scottish heritage, ceremonial dress, Highland games, and formal events. It should not be confused with plaid, a term that can denote tartan cloth, a wrapped outer garment, or a woolen blanket. A kilt may be described in everyday speech as a tartan skirt, though that expression can be perceived as less precise because it emphasizes the garment’s appearance rather than its specific cultural and historical role.
nounA knee-length pleated garment, traditionally worn by men as part of Highland dress. It is usually made from tartan fabric and is often accessorized with a sporran.
- A knee-length pleated garment, usually made of tartan, worn as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress.
"He wore a kilt with a black sporran to the Highland gathering."
"The piper stepped onto the stage wearing a kilt and silver sporran."
"Traditional kilt material is woven in a repeating tartan pattern."
The plural is used when referring to multiple garments or when discussing different types of Highland dress.
"The display included ceremonial kilts from several Scottish clans."
The kilt is the most recognizable part of Scottish Highland dress, but it is only complete when paired with its famously practical companion: the sporran.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kilt come from?
The English word entered from Scots, where kilt denotes the pleated garment now associated with Highland dress. Scots borrowed it from Scottish Gaelic fèileadh, with the closely related Irish form féileadh representing a cognate Gaelic word. The English term subsequently became established particularly in descriptions of Scottish clothing and ceremonial Highland dress.
Related word forms
How kilt is actually used
The term is chiefly associated with Scottish Highland dress. In a modern kilt outfit, the sporran worn at the waist serves as a pouch because the kilt itself has no functional pockets.
Easily confused with kilt
A kilt is a specific pleated garment worn as part of Highland dress, whereas a plaid can refer to tartan-patterned cloth, a Scottish wrap, or, in North American usage, a woolen blanket.