means Straps worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers (or, in British usage, to hold up stockings), keeping clothing in place without relying on a belt.

from From the verb 'suspend' — from Latin 'suspendere,' to hang up, built from 'sub-' (up from under) plus 'pendere,' to hang. The thing literally suspends your trousers. The same 'pendere' family hangs throughout English: 'pendant,' 'pendulum,' even 'pending,' all left dangling. The plural 'suspenders' for the garment is an American coinage from the early 19th century; the British, who already used the word for stocking-holders, settled on 'braces' for the trouser version — same job, different name across the Atlantic.