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ecclesiastical attire

ecclesiastical attire

9.9
Clothing worn by priests or other church people for services
  • noun
  • /ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪkəl əˈtaɪər/
  • Formal
translation icon : atuendo eclesiástico
  • The bishop wore his ecclesiastical attire during the ceremony.

Examples

  • The priest carefully chose his ecclesiastical attire before the Sunday service.

  • She was fascinated by the ornate ecclesiastical attire on display in the cathedral museum.

  • Certain colors of ecclesiastical attire are reserved for specific church holidays.

  • She always chooses elegant ecclesiastical attire for church events.

  • The priest carefully chose his ecclesiastical attire before the Sunday service.

  • Certain colors of ecclesiastical attire are reserved for specific church holidays.

  • She always chooses elegant ecclesiastical attire for church events.

Synonyms

vestment
vsecclesiastical attire
7 8.5

A special robe that a priest or minister wears for religious services

covers all appropriate church clothing not only ceremonial garments
Sunday best
vsecclesiastical attire
7 4.1

Clothes you wear for church or special events

is broader and includes general church clothing and clergy wear
Sunday clothes
vsecclesiastical attire
2 3.0

The best, most formal clothes someone wears for church or important events

is not limited to someone's finest personal clothes
Sunday-go-to-meeting
vsecclesiastical attire
  • Archaic
1 9.3

Clothes you wear for church or other special events

also covers garments worn by clergy not only clothes for attendees
go-to-meeting
vsecclesiastical attire
  • Archaic
1 7.2

Clothes you wear to church or other special events

extends to include official clergy garments as well as attendee clothing
churchy attire
vsecclesiastical attire
6.8

Special clothes people wear for church to show respect

includes garments worn by clergy as well as by church attendees
ecclesiastical robe
vsecclesiastical attire
  • Formal
9.0

Church leaders wear a long loose piece of clothing for church services

covers general church clothing beyond those specific ceremonial garments

How Formal

ecclesiastical attire
  • Formal
9.9
formal
1 3.5
smart
127 2.4
casual
81 1.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

ecclesiastical + attire

The meaning 'clothing appropriate for church or clergy' is directly and transparently inferred from 'ecclesiastical' (relating to the Church) + 'attire' (clothing); there is no idiomatic shift. The composition follows a straightforward adjective+noun pattern common across languages and would be clear to a learner who knows both constituents, despite the slightly formal register.

Etymology

Ecclesiastical attire comes from old words meaning 'church' for ecclesiastical and 'clothes' for attire. It named the special clothes priests and church workers wore to show their role or the important day in the church, so today it means 'clothing for church or clergy'.