Wiktionary

cloak

English

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A man in a cloak

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English cloke, from Old Northern French cloque (“travelling cloak”), from Medieval Latin clocca (“travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so called from the garment’s bell-like shape”), of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *klokkos, ultimately imitative.

Doublet of cloche and clock.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈkloʊk/
  • Rhymes: -əʊk

Noun

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cloak (plural cloaks)

  1. A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.
  2. A blanket-like covering, often metaphorical.
    Night hid her movements with its cloak of darkness.
  3. (figurative) That which conceals; a disguise or pretext.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Thessalonians 2:5, column 1:
      For neither at any time vſed wee flattering wordes, as yee knowe, nor a cloke of couetouſneſſe, God is witneſſe: […]
    • 1676 May 10 (Gregorian calendar); first published 1692, Robert South, “A Sermon Preached at Westminster-Abbey”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions. […], volume I, London: […] J[ohn] H[eptinstall] for Thomas Bennet, […], →OCLC, page 346:
      And no Man is eſteemed any ways conſiderable for Policy, who wears Religion otherwiſe than as a Cloak; that is, as ſuch a Garment as may both cover and keep him warm, and yet hang looſe upon him too.
  4. (Internet) A text replacement for an IRC user's hostname or IP address, making the user less identifiable.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Verb

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cloak (third-person singular simple present cloaks, present participle cloaking, simple past and past participle cloaked)

  1. (transitive) To cover as with or like a cloak.
    • 2008, Bronwyn Jameson, Vows & a Vengeful Groom, Silhouette Books, →ISBN, page 122:
      He would hold her, just hold her, while his hands soothed the bare skin of her arms and the delicate fabric that cloaked her shoulders and her back.
  2. (transitive, figurative) To cover up, hide or conceal.
    • 2022 September 29, Carl Zimmer, “A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes”, in The New York Times‎[1]:
      It’s possible that some microbes don’t just take up residence in tumors but help them grow. They may cloak the tumor from the immune system, neutralize drugs or help tumors spread through the body.
  3. (science fiction, transitive, intransitive) To render or become invisible via futuristic technology.
    The ship cloaked before entering the enemy sector of space.

Derived terms

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Translations

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