coat

[ koht ]

noun

1. an outer garment with sleeves, covering at least the upper part of the body:

   a new fur coat; a coat for formal wear.

2. a natural integument or covering, as the hair, fur, or wool of an animal, the bark of a tree, or the skin of a fruit.
3. a layer of anything that covers a surface:

   That wall needs another coat of paint.

4. a mucous layer covering or lining an organ or connected parts, as on the tongue.
5. coat of arms.
6. Archaic. a petticoat or skirt.
7. Obsolete.
   1. a garment indicating profession, class, etc.
   2. the profession, class, etc., so indicated.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover with a layer or coating: The furniture was coated with dust.

   He coated the wall with paint.

   The furniture was coated with dust.

   Synonyms: encrust, smear, lay

2. to cover thickly, especially with a viscous fluid or substance:

   Heat the mixture until it coats a spoon. The boy was coated with mud from head to foot.

3. to cover or provide with a coat.

coat

/ kəʊt /

noun

1. an outdoor garment with sleeves, covering the body from the shoulder to waist, knee, or foot
2. any similar garment, esp one forming the top to a suit
3. a layer that covers or conceals a surface

   a coat of dust

4. the hair, wool, or fur of an animal
5. short for coat of arms
6. on the coat
   in disfavour

verb

1. troften foll bywith to cover (with) a layer or covering
2. tr to provide with a coat

Other Words From

• coater noun
• coatless adjective
• re·coat verb (used with object)
• recoat noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coat¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cote, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Germanic; compare German Kotze, Old Saxon cott “woolen coat”

Word History and Origins

Origin of coat¹

C16: from Old French cote of Germanic origin; compare Old Saxon kotta, Old High German kozzo

Example Sentences

Snell pulled a coat from her father’s closet that Rona wears back home and the designer borrowed from Orkney residents: “Rona’s wellies were given to us by one of the women on the farm, and I bought her a new pair as a thank-you.”

From Los Angeles Times

Rita’s dedication to looking her best in the present, whether at work in the munitions factory or going on a night out wearing a leopard-print coat, is inspired by photographic evidence.

From Los Angeles Times

From leather chaps to a vintage Dior coat, the items that these sellers shared are reminders of why they do what they do — and what makes a piece last a lifetime.

From Los Angeles Times

So we flew to London, my husband and I, for the first time, and I finally wore my big, loud cocoon coat to the exhibition preview.

From Los Angeles Times

I was in London, wearing my coat, on the dime of my business that I built doing all this.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cloak
• frock
• jacket
• overcoat
• raincoat
• suit
• tuxedo
• windbreaker
• wrap