12 May 2017
surplice
[sur-plis]
noun
1. a loose-fitting, broad-sleeved white vestment, worn over the cassock by clergy and choristers.
2. a garment in which the two halves of the front cross diagonally.
Origin of surplice
Middle English Anglo-French Old French Medieval Latin
1250-1300; Middle English surplis; Anglo-French surpliz, syncopated variant of Old French surpeliz; Medieval Latin superpellīcium (vestīmentum) over-pelt (garment), neuter of superpellīcius (adj.), equivalent to Latin super- super- + pellīt(us) clothed with skins + -ius adj. suffix
Related forms
surpliced, adjective
unsurpliced, adjective
Can be confused
surplice, surplus.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for surplice
Historical Examples
It goes into the pulpit, and decides the gown, and the surplice, and the style of rhetoric.
The Abominations of Modern Society
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage
In 1565 he, with the Fellows and scholars, appeared in Chapel without the surplice.
St. John’s College, Cambridge
Robert Forsyth Scott
The surplice, which Mr. Poodle was still holding, parted with a rip, and Gissing was free.
Where the Blue Begins
Christopher Morley
The sight of a surplice, the sound of bells, scares them away.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine – Volume 55, No. 344, June, 1844
Various
In 1617 he went with the king to Scotland, and aroused hostility by wearing the surplice.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 3
Various
He returned the bottle to his pocket, and went to the vestry for his surplice.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
I myself have known parishes in the mountains where the surplice fees were worth more than that of many town livings.
The Red and the Black
Stendhal
The old reprobate with the surplice burst into a volley of bad language.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
It’s a good thing clergymen wear a surplice, for I am sure he never could tell whether he was decent or not.
A Little Girl in Old Washington
Amanda M. Douglas
An acolyte appeared, followed by the aged priest in his surplice.
Original Short Stories, Volume 12 (of 13)
Guy de Maupassant
Anagram
slurp ice
slicer up
I scruple
cure lisp
Today’s quote
Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.
– Henry Rollins
On this day
12 May 1932 – the body of the Lindbergh baby is found near to the Lindbergh residence. The baby was the son of famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, and had been kidnapped days earlier. The kidnapper had accidentally killed the baby during the kidnapping and abandoned the body in a nearby forest.
12 May 1937 – King George VI is crowned King of Britain (and it’s colonies) at Westminster Abbey, following the abdication of his brother.
12 May 1980 – death of Bette Nesmith Graham. Bette is the inventor of Liquid Paper. Her son, Mike Nesmith, was a member of 1960s UK/American pop/rock band, The Monkees. Born 23 March 1924 in Dallas, Texas.
12 May 1994 – in response to thousands acts of violence in the USA against abortion clinics and their patients, a bill is submitted to President Clinton making it a federal crime to prevent access to an abortion clinic or to threaten or use force against people attending the clinics. The bill resulted in the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act 1994. Between 1978 and 1993 anti-abortion (or pro-life) activists had been responsible for at least 9 murders, 17 attempted murders, 406 death threats, 179 acts of assault, 5 kidnappings of abortion providers, 41 bombings, 96 attempted bombings or arsons, 692 bomb threats, 1993 incidents of trespassing, 1400 incidents of vandalism and 100 attacks with butyric acid (stink bombs).