tunic

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a loose garment for the torso, typically reaching from the shoulders to the hips or knees

   The actor wore a belted tunic beneath a wool cloak.

2. 2
   noun

   an enveloping membrane or layer of tissue in an animal body

   The surgeon examined the fibrous tunic surrounding the organ.

3. 3
   noun

   a natural outer covering, such as the papery skin of a bulb or a seed coat

   The dry tunic protects the onion bulb during storage.

From Middle French tunique and Latin tunica ("garment, coat"), possibly borrowed into Latin from a Semitic or Etruscan source. Anatomical and botanical senses extend the garment's enclosing function to natural membranes and coverings.

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