Robed

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Clad in an elaborate garment that drapes elegantly, often indicative of formal or ecclesiastical significance
2. Dressed in a flowing garment that signifies a particular status, often associated with ritualistic or ceremonial occasions
3. Adorned with a luxurious outer garment that conveys authority or reverence, typically used in formal events or religious settings

Etymology: "Robed" is simply the past participle and adjective of "rob" used in its older sense of dressing someone in a robe, so the story is really the story of the verb's suffix. The noun "robe" arrived in English from French, from Old French "robe," a word for a garment or booty, and English turned it into the verb "to robe," meaning to clothe someone in such a garment. The ending "-ed" traces back through Middle English and Old English, where "-ed" and the earlier "-od" were the regular markers for forming past participles and adjectives from verbs, a pattern running back to very old Germanic and Indo-European forms. Adding "-ed" to a noun to make an adjective meaning "furnished with" the noun is an ordinary English pattern, as in "bearded" or "hooded." Here it produces a description of someone wearing a formal or ceremonial outer garment, which is why the word fits judges, clergy and officials so naturally.

Synonyms: clothed, dressed, garbed

Antonyms: undressed, naked