surplice
Other forms: surplices
If you sing in the choir at your church, you might wear a surplice — a loose, wide-sleeved robe.
It says a lot about you if you've ever donned one of these in earnest — namely, that you are or have been a chorister or a member of the clergy. It's a coverall garment that gives a certain ceremonial look in various Christian services. The Latin root, curiously, means "over fur garment;" The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica helpfully informs us that "it was formerly put on over the fur garments which used to be worn in church as a protection against the cold."
-
a loose-fitting white ecclesiastical vestment with wide sleevestype of:vestmentgown (especially ceremonial garments) worn by the clergy
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing surplice
Inspired by the biblical story of Cain and Abel, this novel tells the interlinked stories of the Trask and Hamilton families.
In this modernist classic, Stephen Dedalus develops into an artist and challenges the traditional Irish values with which he grew up.
Helena, the ward of a countess, falls in love with the countess's son, Bertram — but Bertram goes to great lengths to avoid marrying Helena.