frock

[frok]

See more synonyms for frock on Thesaurus.com

noun

a gown or dress worn by a girl or woman.
a loose outer garment worn by peasants and workers; smock.
a coarse outer garment with large sleeves, worn by monks.

frock coat.

verb (used with object)

to provide with, or clothe in, a frock.
to invest with priestly or clerical office.

Origin of frock

1300–50; Middle English froke < Old French froc < Frankish; compare Old Saxon, Old High German hroc coat

Related formsfrock·less, adjectiveun·der·frock, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for frock

gown, robe, apron, clothing, dress, habit, muumuu

Examples from the Web for frock

Contemporary Examples of frock

Only at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 could a guy with a beard wearing a frock cause such ructions.
Why Russia Hates The Bearded Lady: The Hairy Politics of Eurovision
Tim Teeman
May 13, 2014
Even Amy Adams donned a vintage version of the frock in American Hustle.
Diane von Furstenberg Celebrates 40 Years of the Wrap Dress
Erin Cunningham
January 14, 2014
This time, Knightley updated the frock with embellished sleeves.
Jay Z and Beyoncé Go Vegan; 2013 Was the Year of the Hipster
The Fashion Beast Team
December 4, 2013
It is Coddington who tutors the audience on the authentic, creative satisfaction that can be found within the frock trade.
Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington’s Memoir Offers Few Revelations
Robin Givhan
November 20, 2012
It was a short A-line frock that covered her arms, and she paired it with a veil and a floral crown.
Natalie Portman Weds in Rodarte; Jil Sander Goes Off The Grid
The Daily Beast
August 7, 2012

Historical Examples of frock

What instinct made you choose that shade of pale green for your frock?
Viviette
William J. Locke
I wiped his eyes with his frock, told him he was all right and called Sancho to pacify him.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Anne Bronte
The evening clothes were irreproachable; so were the frock coat and a morning suit.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
“Go and change your frock before you tell me anything,” she said decidedly.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
Coupeau and Lorilleux, in frock coats and with their hats in their hands, were chief mourners.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for frock

frock

noun

a girl's or woman's dress
a loose garment of several types, such as a peasant's smock
a coarse wide-sleeved outer garment worn by members of some religious orders

verb

(tr) to invest (a person) with the office or status of a cleric

Word Origin for frock

C14: from Old French froc; related to Old Saxon, Old High German hroc coat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for frock

mid-14c., from Old French froc "a monk's habit" (12c.), of unknown origin; perhaps from Frankish *hrok or some other Germanic source (cf. Old High German hroc "mantle, coat;" Old Norse rokkr, Old English rocc, Old Frisian rokk, German Rock "coat"), from PIE root *rug- "to spin."

Another theory traces it to Medieval Latin floccus, from Latin floccus "flock of wool." Meaning "outer garment for women or children" is from 1530s. Frock-coat attested by 1823.