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
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
Kostadinov’s new tunic collab with Fox Lab draws on the multicolored mirage of Robert Altman’s 1977 psychological drama “3 Women,” striking a balance between functional and futuristic.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025
She holds up the bell sleeve of the tunic.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
