cloak (English)
Where does "cloak" come from?
The English noun 'cloak' derives from the Middle English 'cloke'[1], which was borrowed from the Old Northern French word 'cloque', meaning a traveling cloak[1]. This term originated from Medieval Latin 'clocca', which referred to a travelers' cape named after its bell-like shape[1]. The Latin word itself is considered to be of Celtic origin, rooted in the Proto-Celtic form '*klokkos', which meant 'bell'[4] and was formed as an imitative, sound-symbolic word[1][5].
Open questions
- The Proto-Celtic ancestor is reconstructed, and its ultimate origin is debated between being an imitative formation or deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root '*klek-', meaning to laugh or cackle. [4]
- The Medieval Latin word 'clocca' is only probably of Celtic origin and may have originated specifically in Ireland before spreading with Christianity. [4]
Full etymology tree
- cloak (English), 'A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.'
- inherited cloke (Middle English), 'cloak, cape'
- borrowed cloque (Old French), 'bell'
- derived clocca (Latin), 'bell'
- borrowed *klokkos (Proto-Celtic), 'bell'
- derived clocca (Latin), 'bell'
- borrowed cloque (Old French), 'bell'
- inherited cloke (Middle English), 'cloak, cape'
Ancestors
- cloke (Middle English)
- cloque (Old French)
- clocca (Latin)
- *klokkos (Proto-Celtic)
Cognates and doublets
- cloche (English)
- clock (English)
Descendants and derived words
- becloak (English)
- boat cloak (English)
- cloak-and-dagger (English)
- cloak-and-sworder (English)
- cloak bag (English)
- cloaked (English)
- cloaked (English)
- cloak fern (English)
- cloakless (English)
- cloaklet (English)
- cloaklike (English)
- cloakmaker (English)
Sources
- cloak (English) - Wiktionary
- cloke (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- cloque (Old French) - Wiktionary
- clocca (Latin) - Wiktionary
- klokkos (Proto-Celtic) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris