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cassock

 - 4 dictionary results

cas⋅sock

[kas-uhk]
–noun
1. a long, close-fitting garment worn by members of the clergy or others participating in church services.
2. a lightweight, double-breasted ecclesiastical coat or jacket, worn under the Geneva gown.
3. a member of the clergy.

Origin:
1540–50; < MF casaque, perh. < a Turkic word akin to the source of cossack
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cas·sock   (kās'ək)   
n.   Ecclesiastical
An ankle-length garment with a close-fitting waist and sleeves, worn by the clergy and others assisting in church services.

[French casaque, long coat, from Old French, perhaps from Italian casacca, from Persian kazhāgand, padded garment : kazh, raw silk + āgand, stuffed.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cassock 
c.1550, from M.Fr. casaque "long coat," probably ultimately from Turk. quzzak "nomad, adventurer," (the source of Cossack), an allusion to their typical riding coat. Or perhaps from Ar. kazagand, from Pers. kazhagand "padded coat," from kazh "raw silk" + agana "stuffed."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

cassock

long garment worn by Roman Catholic and other clergy both as ordinary dress and under liturgical garments. The cassock, with button closure, has long sleeves and fits the body closely. In the Roman Catholic church the colour and trim vary with the ecclesiastical rank of the wearer: the pope wears plain white, cardinals black with scarlet trim, archbishops and bishops black with red trim, and lesser clergy plain black. In choir and church ceremonies the pope wears a white silk cassock; cardinals wear scarlet, except in penitential seasons when they wear purple; and lesser clergy wear plain black.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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