tunic
Americannoun
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Chiefly British. a coat worn as part of a military or other uniform.
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a gownlike outer garment, with or without sleeves and sometimes belted, worn by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
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a woman's upper garment, either loose or close-fitting and extending over the skirt to the hips or below.
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a garment with a short skirt, worn by women for sports.
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Ecclesiastical. a tunicle.
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Anatomy, Zoology. any covering or investing membrane or part, as of an organ.
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Botany. an integument, as that covering a seed.
noun
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any of various hip-length or knee-length garments, such as the loose sleeveless garb worn in ancient Greece or Rome, the jacket of some soldiers, or a woman's hip-length garment, worn with a skirt or trousers
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anatomy botany zoology a covering, lining, or enveloping membrane of an organ or part See also tunica
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RC Church another word for tunicle
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tunic
before 900; (< French tunique ) < Latin tunica; perhaps also continuing Old English tunece, tunica < Latin
Explanation
A tunic is a loose-fitting shirt that looks sort of like a long shirt or a short dress. For a fashionable summer look, you might pair trousers with a comfortable tunic that extends past your waist. The ancient Greeks and Romans were early fans of the tunic, and the loose-fitting garment remains popular in modern times. A tunic is popular wardrobe choice in hot, tropical regions because it's loose fitting and comfortable and helps you stay cool. Tunic can also refer to a membrane or tissue that covers something, like an organ or part of a plant. Some plants like tulips and onions have a protective tunic covering the outside of their bulb.
Vocabulary lists containing tunic
The Shakespeare Stealer
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 5
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All's Faire in Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They focused on the Hungarian nationalist group Vitézi Rend, whose medal Gorka wore on a military tunic to Trump’s inaugural events.
From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026
Josefina Baillères, a finalist in the jewelry category who took home the award later that night, wore a simple mesh tunic.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
He also brought a wool tunic for first lady Melania Trump, handwoven on a loom with embroidery from Colombia’s indigenous southwest.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
W. H. Auden once wrote of a miserable Roman soldier guarding a cold, rain-soaked wall in northern Europe, mentioning "lice in my tunic and a cold in my nose."
From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2025
His expensive royal clothes hadn’t survived any better—there were more tears and rips in his tunic than there were clean spots.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
