Dictionary.com
definitions

robe

[rohb]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR robe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object), robed, rob·ing.

to clothe or invest with a robe or robes; dress; array.

verb (used without object), robed, rob·ing.

to put on a robe.

RELATED CONTENT

Congratulations Class of 2012!
Are you graduating this year? Or is your niece, brother, cousin, or aunt graduating? This is the season of academic achievement and celebration. We wanted to offer our congratulations to all of you (and your family and friends) who are graduating this year and commencing the rest of your careers. In this season, we were also wondering, where do graduation traditions come from? Why are …
READ MORE
Grim Reaper
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

veiled, drape, swaddle, swathe, fit, cloak, disguise, attire, equip, dress, trim, don, adorn, cover, decorate, clothe, wear, shod, invested

Origin of robe

1225–75; Middle English < Old French: orig., spoil, booty < Germanic (akin to rob); compare Old High German roub > German Raub
Related formsrobe·less, adjectiverob·er, nounun·der·robe, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for robed

Historical Examples of robed

British Dictionary definitions for robed

robe

noun

any loose flowing garment, esp the official vestment of a peer, judge, or academic
a dressing gown or bathrobe
Australian informal a wardrobe

verb

to put a robe, etc, on (oneself or someone else); dress

Word Origin for robe

C13: from Old French: of Germanic origin; compare Old French rober to rob, Old High German roub booty
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 robed

robe

n.

"long, loose outer garment," late 13c., from Old French robe "long, loose outer garment" (12c.), from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German rouba "vestments"), from West Germanic *raubo "booty" (cf. Old High German roub "robbery, breakage"), which also yielded rob (v.).

Presumably the notion is of garments taken from the enemy as spoils, and the Old French word had a secondary sense of "plunder, booty," while Germanic cognates had both senses; e.g. Old English reaf "plunder, booty, spoil; garment, armor, vestment." Meaning "dressing gown" is from 1854. Metonymic sense of "the legal profession" is attested from 1640s.

robe

v.

late 14c., from robe (n.). Related: Robed; robing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper