bustle; crinolette; kimono seat patch
Refers to a padded undergarment worn at the back of the waist, historically used to shape the skirt, or a reinforcing patch sewn inside the seat area of a kimono.
hip pad (sports)
Protective padding worn over the hips in contact sports such as American football.
loin guard; tasset (armor)
A piece of armor protecting the waist and upper thighs; tasset is the specific European term.
Women in the Meiji era used a bustle to shape their skirts.
The kimono seat patch is a reinforcing cloth to protect the fabric when sitting.
American football players wear hip pads for the game.
The armor's tassets hang down to protect the thighs.
Standard kanji spelling using 当て.
Variant spelling using hiragana あて; less common but still seen.
Compound of 腰 (こし, 'waist, hip') and 当て (あて, 'pad, patch, guard'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word transparently describes something applied to the waist area.