Meanings
-
1
noun
a long, close-fitting garment worn by members of the clergy in some Christian traditions
The priest wore a black cassock beneath his white surplice.
-
2
noun
a long coat or loose gown worn historically by soldiers or ordinary people
The actor's woolen cassock helped establish the play's seventeenth-century setting.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle French casaque ‘long coat,’ probably transmitted through European words for a cloak or coat. In English it first had broader clothing senses before becoming especially associated with the ankle-length robe of Christian clergy.