cassock
/ˈkasək
/noun
A full-length garment worn by certain Christian clergy, members of church choirs, and others having an office or role in a church.The choristers wore shirt and tie (long ties for the boys and bowties for the men) with black robes over their shoulders (not their liturgical cassocks and surplices)....
- In the cobalt light, their cassocks slapped softly against their trouser legs.
- But it seems that the cassock and the cross can become an amazing uniform which still has the power to give its wearer a protected voice.
Derivatives
cassocked
- ‘Let us pray,’ Ben requested, and the rest of the choir, all cassocked, surplussed, hymn-booked, anthem-booked and service-sheeted up bowed their heads dutifully and obediently to the thirteen-year-old.
- I walked in the company of bearded, cassocked monks, then a pair of elderly pilgrims whose fingers flicked worry beads in hands clasped behind their backs.
- A steady stream of tourists processed round the inside of the building in five minutes flat, herded and sssh-ed by the cassocked attendants.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from French casaque 'long coat', from Italian casacca 'riding coat', probably from Turkic kazak 'vagabond'. Compare with Cossack.
This clerical garment has a disreputable history. It comes via French casaque ‘long coat’, from Italian casacca ‘riding coat’, probably based on Turkic kazak ‘vagabond’. A cassock once referred to a long coat worn by some soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries; the ecclesiastical use appears to have arisen in English in the 17th century.