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Glite Dictionary
knee-length

knee-length

3 2.9
Long enough to reach the knee, like a dress or coat
  • adjective
  • /niː lɛŋkθ/
translation icon : hasta la rodilla
  • The trousers, woolen shirt, and knee-length cloak had last been worn on the journey from Waes.
  • a knee-length skirt
  • a knee-length dress

Examples

  • But she found clothing laid out for her: a gray sweater, black blouse, brown knit wool skirt, and knee-length black boots.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Knee-length garments hung with pendants at the waist complete the figures' dress.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The wind caused his bilious green knee-length coat to beat around his legs.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Colene was glad now for the knee-length boots.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A discreet red flower is pinned on her white, short-sleeved, knee-length dress.

    Academic text (2011)

  • You just need a knee length pencil skirt, dress shirt tucked in, and a little necktie or Ascot.

  • For starters, most soldiers would have donned loose fitting trousers, boots and a knee length tunic that was bound with a belt.

  • Harmon wore a thick knee-length overcoat and a karakul hat, but the cold still struck deep into his bones.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The Fancy Shawl outfit consists of a knee-length cloth dress, beaded leggings, and moccasins, and a shawl draped over the shoulders.

    Academic text (2003)

  • She wore a beautiful knee-length dress to the wedding, which looked stunning with her heels.

Synonyms

knee-high
vsknee-length
2 3.5

Reaching up to the knees

is identical in sense but framed as a length description

How Long

knee-length
3 2.9
knee-high
1 2.7
mid-calf
4.5
anklet
1 1.9

Surface Forms

knee-length positive

Morphology

knee-length = knee + length (transparent) = knee + length

The meaning is directly composed from 'knee' + 'length' indicating the extent reaching the knee, a pattern familiar to learners (e.g., ankle-length, waist-length).

Etymology

Knee-length is made from knee ('knee') and length ('how long something is'), so it literally means 'the length to the knee' and describes a dress, skirt, or coat that reaches the knee.