smocks
|smock|
🇺🇸
/smɑk/
🇬🇧
/smɒk/
(smock)
protective garment
Etymology
'smock' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'smoc' (also attested as 'smocca'), where it referred to a short outer garment or overshirt.
'smock' changed from Old English 'smoc' (and Old Norse 'smokkr' / Middle English 'smocke') and eventually became the modern English word 'smock'.
Initially, it meant 'a short garment or overshirt'; over time this evolved into the modern sense of a loose protective or work garment.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a loose overgarment worn to protect clothing (often by artists, children, or workers).
Children wear smocks for painting class to keep their clothes clean.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a traditional smock-frock or loose outer garment historically worn by rural workers and laborers.
In the 1800s, many farmhands wore smocks while working in the fields.
Synonyms
Verb 1
to cover or dress in a smock; also, to decorate a garment with smocking (a sewing technique that gathers fabric into decorative pleats).
She smocks the bodices of the dresses to add decorative pleats.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
decorated with smocking (gathered, embroidered pleats); used to describe garments with this feature.
The market sells smocks and smocked blouses in bright colors.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/02 19:44