Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

in sackcloth and ashes

 - 2 dictionary results

sack⋅cloth

  [sak-klawth, -kloth]
Use in sackcloth and ashes in a Sentence
–noun
1. sacking.
2. coarse cloth worn as a sign of mourning or penitence.
—Idiom
3. in sackcloth and ashes, in a state of repentance or sorrow; contrite: She would be in sackcloth and ashes for days over every trifling error she made.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; see sack 1 , cloth

Related forms:
sackclothed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To in sackcloth and ashes
Word Origin & History

sackcloth 
penitential garb, c.1300, from sack (n.1) + cloth. In the Biblical sense it was of goats' or camels' hair, the coarsest possible clothing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see in sackcloth and ashes on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way