Word for Wednesday: Coat

blog home

Our March Word for Wednesday theme is clothes

The word clothes comes from the Old English ‘claðas’ meaning ‘garments’. ‘Claðas’ is also the plural of ‘clað’ meaning ‘cloth’.

So far, we’ve looked at the words shirt, trousers, and dress. Today’s word is coat

A coat is an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from the shoulder down. It is worn outdoors in the cooler months to keep warm. A short coat is called a jacket.

Coat dates to the early-fourteenth century and comes from the Old French ‘cote’ meaning ‘robe’ or ‘overgarment’, possibly from the Frankish ‘kotta’ meaning ‘coarse cloth’. The word has also been used to describe the natural fur of an animal since the late-fourteenth century. 

Jacket dates to the mid-fifteenth century from the Old French ‘jaquet’, from ‘jacque’ meaning ‘tunic’. The word may be linked to the name Jacque (Jack); or to ‘jacque (de mailles)’ meaning ‘coat of mail’, from the Spanish ‘jaco’, from the Arabic ‘shaak’ meaning ‘breastplate’. 
 


24 Mar 2021
blog home

"Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they're really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I've very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time."

Sarah Taggart, Oasis Academy Lord's Hill