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stockings

Apparel
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Close-fitting garments covering the foot and lower leg, often knitted from wool or silk, appearing in poetry as a subtle indicator of warmth, class, and the care taken with personal appearance.

Detailed Definition
Stockings are one of the most frequently mentioned items of clothing in everyday domestic poetry, from nursery rhymes to intimate lyric verses. Their material and color often speak to a character's station—coarse wool for a servant, fine silk for a lady or gentleman. In love poetry, the gift of a stocking or the act of pulling one on can be charged with gentle eroticism or domestic tenderness. Stockings also appear in poems of travel and endurance, where wet or threadbare stockings underscore the hardships of the journey. The phrase "woolen stockings" carries a particular nostalgic weight in Victorian poetry, evoking childhood, grandmothers, and hearthside warmth. Their fragility—runs and holes—also makes them a useful symbol for human imperfection and the slow decay of cherished things.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Her stockings of silk were a whisper of the 1920s"; "He pulled on his stockings and felt the cold recede"; "The stockings' seam was a line of intention down her leg"; "She darned her stockings by the fire, a woman of patience"; "The stockings, black as the night, were her armor"; "He removed his stockings and felt the floor under his feet"
Additional Notes
Stockings are one of the most frequently mentioned items of clothing in everyday domestic poetry, from nursery rhymes to intimate lyric verses. Their material and color often speak to a character's station—coarse wool for a servant, fine silk for a lady or gentleman. In love poetry, the gift of a stocking or the act of pulling one on can be charged with gentle eroticism or domestic tenderness. Stockings also appear in poems of travel and endurance, where wet or threadbare stockings underscore the hardships of the journey. The phrase "woolen stockings" carries a particular nostalgic weight in Victorian poetry, evoking childhood, grandmothers, and hearthside warmth. Their fragility—runs and holes—also makes them a useful symbol for human imperfection. Related terms include hose, tights, and socks. Students should note the stocking's ability to signal both class and intimacy.
Also Known As
hose leg coverings silk sheaths hosen
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