cassock

[ kas-uhk ]

noun

1. a long, close-fitting garment worn by members of the clergy or others participating in church services.
2. a lightweight, double-breasted ecclesiastical coat or jacket, worn under the Geneva gown.
3. a member of the clergy.

cassock

/ ˈkæsək /

noun

1. Christianity an ankle-length garment, usually black, worn by priests and choristers

Derived Forms

• ˈcassocked, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cassock¹

1540–50; < Middle French casaque, perhaps < a Turkic word akin to the source of Cossack ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of cassock¹

C16: from Old French casaque, from Italian casacca a long coat, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

It may not have priest-assassins or the detonation of an anti-matter device, but as Stanley Tucci might have said in “The Devil Wears Prada,” give me a full cassock skirt and a sea of zucchettos and I’m in.

From Los Angeles Times

An order published Tuesday on the Moscow Diocese website demoted Safronov from his position as priest to that of a psalm-reader and stripped him of the right to give blessings or wear a cassock for three years.

From Seattle Times

The red blood of a crucified Christ became the red robe of the king, which became the red cassock of a church cardinal, which became a merchant’s red cloak, which became a handmaiden’s red shawl, which became red poppies dotting a field, which became an artist’s red studio, which became a red rectangle, which became — lastly — just plain red.

From Los Angeles Times

The bloodstained word is painted on scarlet satin, the material of a cardinal’s cassock.

From Los Angeles Times

I suggested that she try to imagine something happening to the devil, perhaps his foot tripping over his cassock or something else.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• bishop
• chaplain
• cleric
• evangelist
• missionary
• pastor
• pontiff
• preacher
• priest
• rabbi