Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A loose-fitting, white ecclesiastical gown with wide sleeves, worn over a cassock.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A loose-fitting vestment of white linen, with broad and full sleeves, worn over the cassock by clergymen and choristers in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Eccl.) A white garment worn over another dress by the clergy of the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and certain other churches, in some of their ministrations.
- noun (Eccl.) fees paid to the English clergy for occasional duties.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
liturgical vestment of the Christian Church. It has the form of atunic of whitelinen orcotton material, with wide or moderately wide sleeves, reaching to the hips or knees. It usually features lace decoration and may have embroideredbordures .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a loose-fitting white ecclesiastical vestment with wide sleeves
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In another context a surplice is an ecclesiastical vestment.
"Make It Yourself": Home Sewing, Gender, and Culture, 1890-1930 2006
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On weekdays he wore a smock-frock, which he called his surplice, with wonderful fancy stitches on the breast and back and sleeves.
The Parish Clerk 1892
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I didn't know that was called a surplice bodice, but I've been looking for one pattern or ready to wear because I've always loved it.
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Puritans called the surplice, and first hung up by some Puritan or
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The Litany was regarded by Knox as rather of the nature of magic than of prayer, the surplice was a Romish rag, and there was some other objection to the congregation's taking part in the prayers by responses, though they were not forbidden to mingle their voices in psalmody.
John Knox and the Reformation Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912 1905
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{54} The Litany was regarded by Knox as rather of the nature of magic than of prayer, the surplice was a Romish rag, and there was some other objection to the congregation's taking part in the prayers by responses, though they were not forbidden to mingle their voices in psalmody.
John Knox and the Reformation Andrew Lang 1878
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One of the party made a notable discovery, that the surplice was a kind of garment used by the priests of
Literary Character of Men of Genius Drawn from Their Own Feelings and Confessions Isaac Disraeli 1807
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But music was grating to the prejudiced ears of the Scottish; clergy; sculpture and painting appeared instruments of idolatry the surplice was a rag of Popery; and every motion or gesture prescribed by the liturgy, was a step towards that spiritual Babylon, so much the object of their horror and aversion.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part D. From Elizabeth to James I. David Hume 1743
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She wore a narrow gown of pearl silk, the "surplice" waist belted high, and sleeves distended at the top by means of feather cushions tied in the armholes.
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The cape of fur, which hung down to the knees and was set over a kind of surplice of yellow silk, was open in front, revealing its wearer's naked bosom that was clothed only with row upon row of round gems of the size of a hazel nut.
Red Eve Henry Rider Haggard 1890
bilby commented on the word surplice
"But only two priests were in the sacristy, one wearing blue-and-gold vestments and a second priest dressed in a long white surplice, who was trying to fix a silver censer that seemed to be broken."
- 'The Colour Of Blood', Brian Moore.
January 3, 2008