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sackcloth definition

sack·cloth (-klôt̸h′, -klät̸h′)

noun

  1. sacking
  2. coarse, rough cloth, orig. made of goats' hair, worn as a symbol of mourning or penitence, often with ashes sprinkled on the head

Etymology: see sack

sackcloth Idioms

in sackcloth and ashes

in a state of great mourning or penitence

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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