There are several different terms for ladies’ hosiery in general–stockings, pantyhose, tights, etc. I guess those are the main ones. I’ve often seen those words in print in a way that I personally consider misused.
I would be interested to know how many people consider those terms to be fully interchangeable. I consider them to refer to slightly different products.
Pantyhose-- a “full,” long-length pair that includes a crotch and waist area. These are generally made out of nylon. The colors are almost always dark or neutral.
Stockings-- two different kinds–can be either thigh-high, in which case they are typically nylon, or else full-length, in which case they are usually fairly thin cotton. The most common colors are black and white, and variations of those two.
Tights-- thick cotton or other material, often brightly colored or patterned.
For occasions where a catch-all word is needed, my opinion is that either stockings or hosiery come closest to fitting the bill. Hosiery seems more “clinical” so to speak–a word that a clothing manufacturer would be likely to use.
I think of pantyhose as the all in one -waist to toes.
I use hose and stockings interchangeably. They are two pieces, one for each leg. You can keep them on with a girdle, garter belt, or their own elastic tops.
Hose just sounds more genteel to me, but it might be because I hate the word panty and don’t use it to refer to a woman’s underwear . I use the word underwear.
Tights are thick and opaque, but also an all in one garment.
Here’s some more.
Capris–from the waist to below the knee. The ones you wear under your slacks are thinner than the ones you wear like yoga pants. They give your a wonderful fit in pants, and no panty lines.
Open toed hose–these are for wear with sandals. Just the toes are open
Open/closed toes–these are tights where the toes fold over the toe. If you want to wear them so you can show your feet, you just roll them up over the toes. I have one pair of these, I have no idea why.
I think ‘hosiery’ is the term I’ve seen most often to cover the class of objects.
It may be my age showing, but stockings are always used with garter belts. I haven’t worn a pair since 1970.
It’s getting harder to find pantyhose. But you’ll never get me to not wear hose with a dress or skirt when I go to work.
I usually use “nylons” as the catchall word. You’re totally right on pantyhose, but thigh high stockings almost always get called just “thigh highs”. Stockings are the ones that must be held up by garter belts or girdles (thigh highs are meant to stay up by themselves), and I’ve never seen them in cotton. They are made of nylon except for rare cases, and they are almost always neutral or dark shades.