Panties

Panties are a form of underwear designed to be worn by women and girls in the crotch area below the waist. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genital area (usually lined with absorbent material such as cotton), a pair of leg openings which, like the waistband, are often made of elastic, and constructed with material that is breathable. Whilst panties were originally designed to cover the entire lower half of the female form, the modern version (since the 1970s) has either no legs or, in some cases, very short ones, and has become progressively more revealing over time.

"Panties" (plural form) is usually used to denote more than one "pair of panties" (singular), whilst "panty" is used in such derivatives as "panty liner" and "panty hose". The term is usually applied only to female underwear, with "underpants" used as the term for the male counterpart.