History of the
Frock
Originally, a
frock was a
loose, long garment
with wide, full
sleeves,
such as the
habit of
a monk or priest,
commonly belted.
(This is the origin
of the modern term
defrock or
unfrock, meaning "to
eject from the
priesthood").
From the
sixteenth century to
the early twentieth
century, frock
was applied to a
woman's
dress or
gown, in
the fashion of the
day, often
indicating an
unfitted,
comfortable garment
for wear in the
house, or (later) a
light overdress worn
with a
slip or
underdress.
Frock
(especially in the
phrase 'short
frock') is also a
child's dress or
light overdress.
Frock's
older meaning is
retained in dialect
words for men's
outer garments:
- From the
seventeenth
century on, a
frock is a
thigh- or
full-length loose
outer garment worn
by shepherds,
workmen, and farm
workers, generally
of heavy
linen
(now usually
called a
smock-frock).
- A frock
is a dense knitted
overgarment worn
by sailors and
fishermen, as
guernsey frock,
jersey frock
(now usually
simply
guernsey and
jersey).
