frock

• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɹɒk/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɹɑk/
• Rhymes: -ɒk

From Middle English frok, frokke, from Old French froc (“frock, a monk's gown or habit”), perhaps via Medieval Latin hrocus, roccus, rocus (“a coat”), from Frankish *hrokk (“skirt, dress, robe”), from Proto-Germanic *hrukkaz (“robe, jacket, skirt, tunic”), from Proto-Indo-European *kreḱ- (“to weave”).

Cognate with Old High German hroch, roch (“skirt, dress, cowl”) – whence German Rock (“skirt, coat”) –, Saterland Frisian Rok (“skirt”), Dutch rok (“skirt, petticoat”), Old English rocc (“an overgarment, tunic, rochet”), Old Norse rokkr (“skirt, jacket”), whence Danish rok (“garment”).

frock (plural frocks)

1. A dress, a piece of clothing, which consists of a skirt and a cover for the upper body.
2. An outer garment worn by priests and other clericals; a habit.
3. A sailor's jersey.
4. An undress regimental coat.

frock (third-person singular simple present frocks, present participle frocking, simple past and past participle frocked)

1. (transitive) To clothe (somebody) in a frock.
   • 1935, Hearst's International Combined with Cosmopolitan, page 113:

     […] Mrs. Parmly-Coles, in thus frocking her daughter, was no jealous cat but a pearl among mothers.

2. (transitive) To make (somebody) a cleric.
3. (US military, transitive) To grant to an officer the title and uniform of a rank he will soon be promoted to.
   • 1976, The Marine Corps Gazette, volumes 61-62, page 4:

     MajGen Richard G. Schulze […] was selected for two-star rank by members of the January selection board. He was frocked on 27 Jan and assigned new duties as CG, MCRD, San Diego.

• defrock
• disfrock
• unfrock

From Middle English frock, froke, from Old Norse frauki (“frog”), related to Old English frocga (“frog”). More at frog.

frock (plural frocks)

2. (dialectal) A frog.