Overcoat

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈəʊvəkəʊt/

Definitions

1. A long warm coat worn over other clothing, typically extending below the knees, designed for protection against cold weather
2. A lengthy garment designed to be worn over additional clothing, providing thermal insulation as well as protection from adverse weather conditions
3. A substantial outer garment that covers additional layers of clothing, typically extending to the knees and offering warmth and protection from cold and harsh elements

Etymology: "Overcoat" is a plain compound: "over-" joined to "coat," and the parts have travelled very different routes into English. "Over" is an inherited Germanic word, descended from the same ancestral root that gave Old English "ofer," meaning "above" or "across." "Coat" came in by a longer road. Its distant source is a Late Latin word, "cotta," a tunic, which passed into Old French as "cotte" and then into Middle English as "cote," a garment worn over or under other clothing. Put together, the compound describes exactly what the garment does: it is a coat worn on top of everything else. The word is a straightforward English formation, so the interest lies less in any single surprising twist than in the mix of a native prefix with a borrowed noun.

Synonyms: coat, outerwear, overgarment, mantle, wrap