tailcoat
- noun
- /ˈteɪlˌkoʊt/
- He arrived at the gala wearing a stylish tailcoat that impressed all the guests.
- tailcoat and trousers
- tailcoat and waistcoat
- a black tailcoat
Examples
-
So she was on time and back in dance position, and she found the crest of his right shoulder with the fingers of her left hand and felt, for the first time, the seam where the shoulder of his densely tailored tailcoat (made for dancing only) met the stiff narrow sleeve.
Fiction book (1999) -
Pray, look at this," Mendeleev rummaged in the pocket of his old and completely worn tailcoat (it had long since lost all its buttons).
Fiction book (1991) -
Basically, all you need is one suit of evening clothes... and a tailcoat.
-
"For all tests above Fourth Level, the dress code is: a dark tailcoat with top hat.
Blog text (18) -
Some weeks before the Nobel awards ceremony, he went to his neighborhood old-world tailor to order a tailcoat.
Academic text (2000) -
The waiters, older men in greasy black tailcoats, were hostile to anyone new or weak.
Fiction book (1993) -
But beside her walked a man who looked very much like a bridegroom in his black tailcoat with satin lapels.
Fiction book (2002) -
The one-eyed king enters the stage much like a gentleman in a period piece: he appears to be wearing a black tailcoat, white waistcoat, black bow tie, black pants, and fancy dress shoes.
Academic text (2018) -
We were engaged to be married, the invitations were out... I was being fitted for a tailcoat... and twenty-four hours before the wedding... she died of influenza.
-
His clothes were expensive, and he'd been at some sort of party because he was all dressed up: black tailcoat, frilled shirt, gold studs, silk scarf, all that.
Fiction book (1993)
Synonyms
A very formal men's suit with a coat that has a long back worn at special events
A very formal men's evening dress code requiring a white bow tie and tailcoat
Formal evening clothes for men worn at very important events
A very formal evening outfit for men with a white bow tie, white waistcoat, black tailcoat, and matching trousers
A formal men's jacket with long, narrow tails at the back
A formal men's outfit with a tailcoat and trousers for evening events
A formal evening jacket for men with a short front and long tails at the back
A formal men's jacket with a cut-away front and two long tails worn for evening events
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Tailcoat comes from the simple words tail ('rear part') and coat. So a tailcoat is literally a coat with long 'tails' at the back, which is why it has a short front and long back for formal events.