A garter is a band worn around the leg to hold up a stocking or sock. Before elastic was invented, people needed something to keep their long socks from sliding down, so they used garters: strips of fabric, ribbon, or leather that wrapped around the leg just below the knee or around the thigh.

Today, most socks have elastic tops that stay up on their own, so garters aren't commonly used anymore. However, you might still see them in historical movies about the 1800s or early 1900s, when both men and women wore garters as part of their everyday clothing. Some baseball players wear elastic garters to keep their high socks properly positioned during games.

The word also appears in the name of Britain's highest order of knighthood: the Order of the Garter. Members of this order wear a ceremonial garter as part of their formal dress.