English
surplice
Surplice comes from Old French surpeliz.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400surpeliz
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500surplys‘a surplice’
- Englishearliest quotation 1848surplice
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400surpeliz
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500surplys‘a surplice’
- Englishearliest quotation 1848surplice
Earliest quotation: 1848, – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray: “On the previous night he had taken the manuscript…”
A compound of super ‘over’ + pellis ‘fur’
Proto-Indo-European *upér ‘over’
Proto-Italic *super ‘above’
Latin super ‘over’
Proto-Indo-European *pel- ‘to cover, wrap’
Proto-Indo-European *pel-ni-s ‘to cover, wrap’
Proto-Italic *pelnis ‘skin’
Latin pellis ‘fur’
Every English word from Old French surpeliz
Today it means
noun A liturgical vestment of the Christian Church in the form of a tunic of white linen or cotton material, with wide or moderately wide sleeves, reaching to the hips or knees, usually featuring lace decoration and embroidered bordures.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French surpeliz / surplice