Epitrachelion

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɛpɪtɹəˈkiliɒn/

Definitions

1. a liturgical vestment worn around the neck and shoulders by Orthodox Christian priests during religious services
2. an ornamental clerical garment draped over the shoulders and neck of Eastern Orthodox clergy members that signifies priestly authority
3. a ceremonial neck cloth worn by Orthodox priests as part of their sacramental vestments during divine worship

Etymology: The Eastern Orthodox priest's stole is named for its position on the body rather than for any religious idea. The Greek "epitrakhēlios" is built from "epi", meaning "on" or "upon", and "trakhēlos", meaning "neck", so it literally means "on the neck." Byzantine Greek later added the diminutive ending "-ion" to make "epitrakhḗlion", the name English borrowed for this vestment. The word therefore describes a garment worn around the neck and hanging down the front, not an object defined by its use or decoration. Its ancestry runs back to the same Indo-European roots that gave English words such as "trachea" a Greek basis in "trákhēlos", though the English term arrived through the later Greek liturgical vocabulary rather than classical usage.