surcoat
English
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surcoat
- /ˈsɜːˌkəʊt/ UK
- /ˈsɜɹˌkoʊt/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English surcote, from Old French surcote, formed with sur (“over”) and cote (“coat, robe, tunic, overgarment”), respelled based on coat.
noun surcoats
- A loose sleeveless garment worn over a suit of armor, sometimes colored or embroidered with the wearer's coat of arms. The ordered system of symbols which we know as heraldry came into being in the twelfth century to meet a military need. These symbols were emblazoned on shields, surcoats and fighting flags, and served as an invaluable means of identification when the features were obscured by the great helm.
- An overgarment worn over a woman's gown; a kind of short robe worn over the tunic at the close of the 11th century. She wore a short surcoat of scarlet, cut low around the shoulders, sleeveless, reaching just below her hips, like the tabards worn by medieval heralds. Over it she wore a laced-edged cotta.
Talk about this word "surcoat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/surcoat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. surcoat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/surcoat "surcoat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/surcoat.Cite this
@misc{surcoat_2026,
title = {surcoat},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/surcoat},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
