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definitions

tunic

[too-nik, tyoo-]
See more synonyms for tunic on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Chiefly British. a coat worn as part of a military or other uniform.
  2. a gownlike outer garment, with or without sleeves and sometimes belted, worn by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
  3. a woman's upper garment, either loose or close-fitting and extending over the skirt to the hips or below.
  4. a garment with a short skirt, worn by women for sports.
  5. Ecclesiastical. a tunicle.
  6. Anatomy, Zoology. any covering or investing membrane or part, as of an organ.
  7. Botany. an integument, as that covering a seed.

Origin of tunic

before 900; (< French tunique) < Latin tunica; perhaps also continuing Old English tunece, tunica < Latin
Related formssub·tu·nic, nounsu·per·tu·nic, nounun·der·tu·nic, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tunic

blouse, jacket, robe, coat, chiton, surcoat, kirtle, toga

Examples from the Web for tunic

Historical Examples of tunic

  • His tunic was always worn out and patched, but his weapons were mounted in silver.

    A Hero of Our Time

    M. Y. Lermontov

  • The policeman drew from the pocket of his tunic a dirty note-book.

    A Nest of Spies

    Pierre Souvestre

  • Jorgenson, with his hands deep in the pockets of his tunic, listened, looking down.

    The Rescue

    Joseph Conrad

  • He did not attempt to go to sleep; he did not even unbutton the top button of his tunic.

    Victory

    Joseph Conrad

  • Bimba tells me that Tunic has disappeared no one knows whither.

British Dictionary definitions for tunic

tunic

noun
  1. 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
  2. anatomy botany zoology a covering, lining, or enveloping membrane of an organ or partSee also tunica
  3. mainly RC Church another word for tunicle

Word Origin for tunic

Old English tunice (unattested except in the accusative case), from Latin tunica
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 tunic
n.

c.1600, from Middle French tunique, from Latin tunica (cf. Spanish tunica, Italian tonica, Old English tunece, Old High German tunihha), probably from a Semitic source (cf. Hebrew kuttoneth "coat," Aramaic kittuna).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
tunic in Medicine

tunic

[tōō′nĭk]
n.
  1. A coat or layer enveloping an organ or a part; tunica.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.