why is it called a skirt?

Like the origins of other items of clothing, there is no simple answer. A piece of animal hide or coarsely woven fabric worn around the waist was one of the first things we humans wore as we crawled out of our caves and began planting crops and raising animals. There is some debate as Eastern countries have worn skirt like garments for thousands of years. However the European skirt has its origins in the garments worn by the Norse and the Teutons in the bronze age and adopted by the rest of Europe in the early middle ages.

It is believed that the word comes from the old Scandinavian word skyrta, which means legs. The skyrta was a separate piece of fabric sewn to the bottom hem if the bodice or top of a garment. This Scandinavian garment replaced one piece gowns, tunics and dresses across Europe by the 13th or 14th century. The bodice was the top and the skirt was the bottom for centuries, the two were always sewn together and never separated. When someone figured out that it worked better to make skirt and tops as separate garments, the bottom portion kept the name skirt. The name has stuck around more or less since then.

As opposed to a kilt? Why are pants called pants? I know it's short for pantaloons, but what the heck is a pantaloon?This can go on forever. We have to call things something or we would just stare at each other all day and have no words at all.