clerical collar

noun

1. a stiff, narrow, bandlike white collar fastened at the back of the neck, worn by certain clerics.

clerical collar

noun

1. Informal name: dog collar. a stiff white collar with no opening at the front that buttons at the back of the neck; the distinctive mark of the clergy in certain Churches

Word History and Origins

Origin of clerical collar¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

“I was wearing my clerical collar, a big old cross necklace, you know, basically everything that you can to identify yourself as not exactly a rioter.”

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The pastor, a 73-year-old Michigan native and non-denominational evangelical, does not wear a clerical collar and calls himself a Christian activist.

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At the time of the 2014 incident, Quick was wearing a clerical collar, but unbeknownst to the Bustos aide, Quick was also a former employee of the Tea Party candidate running against Bustos.

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Asked if he continued to wear a clerical collar, he again said he had not been given “any instructions about that.”

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In police body-camera footage obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Lee can be seen wearing a clerical collar and sitting in a red sedan parked near Ms. Freeman’s suburban home on Dec. 15, 2020.

Read more on New York Times