noun
surplice
SUR-plis/ˈsɜːrpləs/
A loose white garment worn over other clothing during Christian services.
The chorister wears a loose white surplice over a dark cassock.
Etymology
The name means an “over-fur” garment: clergy and choristers wore it over fur clothing for warmth in unheated churches. That underlying layer also explains the surplice’s loose, full shape.
In context
Sometimes altar servers or other ministers will wear a long black robe called a cassock, under a white, loose linen garment called a surplice.
More examples
- The choir members put on their surplices before the service.
- Her surplice has wide sleeves and a lace border.
- An altar server folds the clean surplice in the sacristy.
Forms
surplice · surplices