gaiter

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French guêtre, from Middle French guiestres, guestes pl, from Old French *gueste, from Frankish *wastiju, from Proto-Germanic *wastijō (“garment; dress”). Cognate with Middle High German wester (“a child's chrisom-cloth”), Middle High German westebarn (“godchild”), Old English wæstling (“a coverlet”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌹 (wasti, “garment; dress”).

noun

1. A covering of cloth or leather for the ankle and instep.
   Coordinate term: spats
2. A covering cloth or leather for the whole leg from the knee to the instep, fitting down upon the shoe.
3. Part of the ecclesiastical garb of a bishop.

verb

1. To dress with gaiters.

Etymology 2

From Middle English gaytre, from Old English gāte-trēow (“the common dogwood”), equivalent to gāt (“goat”) + trēow (“tree”).

noun

1. (obsolete, dialectal) The dogwood, or a similar shrub.