cassock
Americannoun
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a long, close-fitting garment worn by members of the clergy or others participating in church services.
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a lightweight, double-breasted ecclesiastical coat or jacket, worn under the Geneva gown.
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a member of the clergy.
noun
Other Word Forms
- cassocked adjective
Etymology
Origin of cassock
1540–50; < Middle French casaque, perhaps < a Turkic word akin to the source of Cossack ( def. )
Explanation
A cassock is a long, single-colored robe that's usually black. It's worn by priests and other clergymen — so don't go looking to buy a cassock to complete your fall wardrobe. Many pieces of clothing have a certain association, like neckties with business or puffy hats with chefs. The cassock is an article of clothing associated with religion, since cassocks are robes worn by members of the clergy in the Christian tradition. Cassocks are usually black, brown, grey, or another plain color, and they go all the way down to the wearer’s ankles. A cassock is part of the priestly tradition for many Christian sects, just like a nun’s habit.
Vocabulary lists containing cassock
Between Shades of Gray
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Blood on the River
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The Stranger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although Leo is more inscrutable than Francis, Catholics are beginning to get a better sense of the man beneath the cassock.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
The cardinal - in red mozzetta and cassock - is shown blessing the body of the late Pope during the rite of the declaration of death.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2025
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 • Jun. 5, 2023
“Lord have mercy,” the priest chanted as he blessed the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers with incense, his cassock buffeted by a freezing wind.
From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2023
In summertime I would abandon adolescence to put the black cassock of mourning over a light summer shirt.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
