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

Examples of cassock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Theology gathers its cassock skirts and anxiously casts Simon out as a magician or a sorcerer. James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024 His cassock fluttered; his crucifix reflected the sun, or the camera’s flash. Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024 Aka, who grew up in Ivory Coast before attending Catholic schools in Paris and Provence, France, recalls going to church with his grandmother and admiring the priests’ cassocks. Nicole Demarco Dalya Benor Caitie Kelly Juan A. Ramírez Monica Mendal Janet Siroto, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 This approach demands that those who were once secular priests—the leaders of the philanthropic sector—abandon their cassocks and accept the mantle of the heretic. Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cassock 

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 28 Nov. 2024.

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!