绔

絝

kù

夸 + 纟

Definitions

kù variant of 褲|裤[kù]

Etymology

Extravagant 夸 silk 纟 clothes; 夸 also provides the pronunciation

About

绔, a phono-semantic compound for trousers or pants, is the simplified form of 絝 and a variant of 褲 (now 裤). Its left side is the silk radical 纟 (from 糸), signifying textiles. The right side is 夸 (kuā), meaning "extravagant", which also supplies the pronunciation. Historically, it denoted loose-fitting trousers worn by the upper class, and this luxurious connotation gave rise to the derogatory term 纨绔 (wánkù) , "silk trousers" , describing idle, wealthy young men. Thus, the structure marries the material (silk) with the sound (kuā), while 夸 further hints at the garment's opulence.