cassock

noun

cas·​sock ˈka-sək How to pronounce cassock (audio)
: a close-fitting ankle-length garment worn especially in Roman Catholic and Anglican churches by the clergy and by laypersons assisting in services

Illustration of cassock

Illustration of cassock

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The two elders, Ayatollah Sistani, 90 and clad in black robes, and Francis, 84, in his white cassock, each the highest religious authority among their followers, sat across from one another in stockinged feet. New York Times, 6 Mar. 2021 But in his early 30s, Pritchard turned in his cassock for a blue uniform and started his second life as a Farmington police officer, husband and father. Alison Cross, Hartford Courant, 4 Dec. 2022 Father Andrew, the youthful priest, sometimes changed out of his black cassock into street clothes and drove military materiel some 700 miles across Ukraine, to the front. George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022 In Ivankiv, north of Kyiv, a priest wearing his cassock was pulled out of his car and shot at a checkpoint where his body lay for several days, Ukrainian Orthodox officials said. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 13 Aug. 2022 Kester pulled his bright vestment over his military cassock, and Skorbach placed a brand-new green helmet on the table beside the candle. Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 10 July 2022 Maximien, still devoutly Catholic, arranged for a home audience with his priest, a Beninese man in a white cassock, introducing me as his grandson. David Wright Faladé, The New Yorker, 4 July 2022 The mantle is only attached to the cassock in two places, explained Dario Piccioni, an employee accustomed to selling garments to cardinals and bishops at the Vatican. The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Mar. 2021 Al-Sistani, who rarely appears in public or even on television, wore black robes and a black turban, in simple contrast to Francis’ all-white cassock. Nicole Winfield And Qassim Abdul-zahra, chicagotribune.com, 6 Mar. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cassock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French casaque

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cassock was in 1631

Dictionary Entries Near cassock

Cite this Entry

“Cassock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cassock. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

Kids Definition

cassock

noun
cas·​sock ˈkas-ək How to pronounce cassock (audio)
: a close-fitting ankle-length garment worn by clergy (as in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches)

More from Merriam-Webster on cassock

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