Becloak

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cover or envelop with a garment or cloak; to conceal or hide completely beneath a covering; to dress or adorn in a cloak or similar outerwear
2. To wrap or drape in a cloak, thereby hiding or shielding from view; to obscure by placing a covering over; to clothe in a flowing outer garment
3. To surround or enfold with a cloak-like covering, producing concealment; to shroud or mask by means of an outer garment; to clothe or array in a protective or decorative cloak

Etymology: The verb "becloak" is a plain formation: the prefix be- attached to "cloak." In English, be- has long been used to form verbs meaning "to cover or surround with" the thing named by the base word, so "becloak" means to put a cloak around someone or something. The pattern is old and productive, and it shows up in many other verbs, such as "bedew," "bespatter," and "besmear." The base word "cloak" came into English from Old French "cloke," which likely traces back to Late Latin "clocca," meaning "bell," because a cloak was shaped like a bell. Pairing that base with be- gives a verb that makes the covering itself the action. The meaning has stayed close to its literal sense: to wrap someone in a cloak, and by extension to hide or shroud something under a covering. The figurative use, where something is veiled or obscured, grew naturally out of the physical act of draping cloth over a person.

Synonyms: cloak, cover, envelop

Antonyms: reveal, uncover, expose