How did the petticoat originate and What does the word “petticoat” mean?

The early petticoat, or “little coat,” was worn by men.

In fact, men continued to wear petticoats until the eighteenth century, although the garments were then usually called waistcoats.

But the small coats worn by men of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were actually coats, not skirts, and were worn under the doublet.