grammatical number - What is the etymology of a pair of trousers


According to the accepted answer here, Why is the word "pants" plural?, it's because trousers were originally made in two parts and fastened together when worn. This sounds like a folk etymology to me and examples of very old trousers show that they were made as a single piece and not separable.


Is there any evidence to back this up this etymology, such as an ancient pair of trousers in a museum that was made to be worn as two separate pieces? If not, what is the true etymology of a pair of trousers? The two examples I've found so far both predate Old English and other languages treat trousers, jeans and related words as a grammatically singular word, such as pantalon and jean in French.


Germanic trousers of the 4th century found in the Thorsberg moor, Germany
Germanic trousers of the 4th century found in the Thorsberg moor, Germany


The oldest known trousers, including this roughly 3,000-year-old pair with woven leg decorations, belonged to nomadic horsemen in Central Asia.
The oldest known trousers, including this roughly 3,000-year-old pair with woven leg decorations, belonged to nomadic horsemen in Central Asia.




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