Leotard: Jules Léotard was also the… | etymologist.ai
leotard
/ˈliː.ə.tɑːɹd/·noun·1886·Established
Origin
Named after Jules Leotard, theFrench acrobat who invented the flying trapeze in the 1850s and wore the garment.
Definition
A close-fitting one-piece garment covering the torso and sometimes the limbs, worn by dancers, gymnasts, and acrobats.
The Full Story
French (personal name)1886well-attested
Named after Jules Léotard (1838–1870), a French aerialist and acrobat from Toulouse who invented the flying trapeze act and performed in a close-fitting knitted one-piece garment that left his muscles unencumbered for aerial work. Léotard himself called the garment a 'maillot' (the French word for a knitted jersey); the English-speaking world named it after him following the posthumous publication of his memoirs and the enormous popularity of his act across Europe and America. His surname derives from the OldHigh German personal name 'Leodhard,'
Did you know?
Jules Léotard was also the inspiration for the 1867 song 'TheDaring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze.' He died at just 31, likely of smallpox, butleft two linguistic legacies: the garment that bears his name and the popularization of the trapeze act itself.