tunic

American  

[too-nik, tyoo-] / ˈtu nɪk, ˈtyu- /

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.

---

tunic British  

/ ˈtjuːnɪk /

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 part See also tunica

3. RC Church another word for tunicle

---

Other Word Forms

• subtunic noun
• supertunic noun
• undertunic noun

Etymology

Origin of tunic

before 900; (< French tunique ) < Latin tunica; perhaps also continuing Old English tunece, tunica < Latin

Example Sentences

And on those horses were soldiers dressed in red-and-gold tunics, with spears and swords and bows and arrows.

From Literature

And I had to wear a tunic, which I put into “Garden State.”

From Los Angeles Times

Delpierre marvels at the thousands of garments, ranging from vests and tunics to dresses and leotards displayed in a large warehouse near Geneva.

From Barron's

He wore a white short-sleeved tunic that showed off the markings on his light brown skin.

From Literature

He managed to get back two coral bead crowns and a tunic but it was only in 2021 that any significant repatriation of artefacts by Western universities and museums began.

From BBC

Related Words

• blouse
• coat
• jacket
• robe