Apocket is a smallbag- orenvelope-shaped compartment that is either sewn into or attached to clothing, designed for carrying small items. Pockets are also found onluggage,backpacks, and similar containers. Historically, the term could also refer to a separate pouch or small bag.
Ancient civilizations used leather or cloth pouches to store valuables.[1] The Copper Age mummy known asÖtzi (also called the "Iceman"), who lived around 3,300BCE, wore a belt with a sewn-on pouch containing tools and materials such as a scraper, drill, flint flake, bone awl, and driedtinder fungus.[2]
In medieval Europe, early pocket-like openings called fitchets appeared in the 13th century. These vertical slits, cut into the outer tunic, allowed access to a purse or keys suspended from the girdle beneath.[3] Historian Rebecca Unsworth notes that pockets became more visible in the late 15th century,[4] and their use spread widely in the 16th century.[4]
Later, pockets were often worn likepurses on a belt, concealed under acoat orjerkin to deterpickpocketing, with access through a slit in the outer garment.
By the 17th century, pockets were sewn into men's clothing, while women's remained as separate tie-on pouches hidden beneath skirts.[5][6]
The word pocket enteredMiddle English from aNorman diminutive ofthe Old Frenchpoke orpouque, related to modernpoche and the English wordpouch. The form "poke" is now only used in dialect, or in such proverbial sayings as "a pig in a poke".
In the 17th to 19th centuries, women's tie-on pockets—mentioned in the rhymeLucy Locket—often carried everyday tools like scissors, pins, needles, and keys.[7][8]: 113
In modern fashion, men's clothing usually includes pockets, whereas women's clothing often has smaller or even fake ones, sometimes called Potemkin pockets after the concept of aPotemkin village. A 2018 study bythe Pudding found that fewer than half of women's front pockets could fit a thin wallet, let alone a phone or keys.[9]
A watch pocket or fob pocket is a small compartment originally designed to hold apocket watch. It is sometimes found in men'strousers,waistcoats, and traditionalblue jeans.[10] With the decline in pocket watch use, these pockets are now often repurposed for other small items.
A besom pocket (or slit pocket) is set into the garment rather than sewn on top. The pocket opening is reinforced—often with an extra strip of fabric or decorative stitching—and may be secured with a flap or button. Besom pockets are common ontuxedo jackets andtrousers.
Camp pockets (or cargo pockets) are sewn onto the outside of the garment, typically square or rectangular with visible seams.[11][12] They are common on utilitarian clothing and outdoor gear.
A beer pocket is a small compartment within a jacket or vest sized to hold a bottle ofbeer. It was popular in some areas of theAmerican Midwest during the 1910s, beforeProhibition caused it to fade from fashion. The style saw minor revivals in the 1980s and early 2000s.
In some of the following illustrations, a folded blue handkerchief is included for illustration purposes:
![Slant-front or slash pockets[13]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHosentaschen_vorne_02.svg)
![Curved inset pockets, with a coin or watch pocket on right front pocket[14]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHosentaschen_vorne_01.svg)
