tunic Hear it!

tunic definition

tu·nic (to̵̅o̅nik, tyo̵̅o̅-)

noun

  1. a loose, gownlike garment worn by men and women in ancient Greece and Rome
  2. a blouselike garment extending to the hips or lower, usually gathered at the waist, often with a belt
  3. Chiefly Brit. a short coat forming part of the uniform of soldiers, policemen, etc.
  4. a vestment worn over the alb, as formerly by a subdeacon, or by a bishop under the dalmatic
  5. a natural covering of a plant, animal, etc.

Etymology: L tunica < *ktunica, of Sem orig. (prob. via Punic), as in Aram ktūnā, Phoen ktn, garment worn next to the skin (> Gr chitōn)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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