Boxer Shorts

(also known as loose boxers or as simply boxers) are a type of undergarment typically worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement (“footwork") is very important. Boxers come in a variety of styles and design but are characterized by their loose fit.

The term, boxer shorts, is an American coinage for a particular kind of men’s underwear, and is now also common in Britain. However, boxer shorts are often referred to merely as boxers in the USA. Moreover, whereas the American English usage of the word pants refers to outerwear (i.e., trousers in British English), the usage of pants in British English refers to the garment worn under one�s trousers, such as boxers; such a garment, however, is referred to as underpants in American English (note the qualification of the word pants by the word under).