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Glite Dictionary
nun's habit

nun's habit

1 7.4
A long loose outer piece of clothing that nuns wear as part of their religious clothes
  • noun
  • /nʌnz ˈhæbɪt/
translation icon : hábito de monja
  • But even in her nun's habit, Clare hardly seemed a threat.
  • wear a nun's habit
  • dressed in a nun's habit

Examples

  • While walking through the convent, I spotted a nun in her flowing nun's habit, symbolizing her commitment to faith.

  • - "A nun's habit, six tubes of Crazy Glue."

    Fletch (1985)

  • Lila, in a nun's habit, is on her knees praying.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Drinks were served by menials dressed in priests' cassocks and nuns' habits.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • She did not wear a traditional nun's habit, but in her native sari, her actions of love made her stand out from the whole secular world.

    Blog text (13)

  • And P103 Clare, in her knee-length nun's habit, seemed to cower like a plump little wren afraid of being gobbled up.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The ceremony began with the nuns dressed in their traditional nun's habit, creating a serene and respectful atmosphere.

  • Sister Mary adjusted her nun's habit before entering the chapel to lead the evening prayers.

Synonyms

habit
vsnun's habit
9 7.5

A simple cloth outfit worn by members of a religious group

is the specific form worn by women in a religious community
monastic habit
vsnun's habit
8.9

A long loose garment worn by monks to show their religious group

is the same garment but used by women in a different religious setting

Surface Forms

nun's habit singular
nuns' habits plural

Morphology

nun's + habit

This is a regular possessive noun phrase: 'nun's' = belonging to a nun and 'habit' = a religious garment, so the meaning (the garment worn by a nun) is directly derivable from the parts. The composition follows common cross-linguistic possessive + noun patterns, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Nun's habit may come from an older use of the word habit meaning 'clothes' or 'way of dressing', so people simply called the special long outer garment of nuns a habit. That's why nun's habit today refers to the long, loose religious dress worn by nuns.