/ˈkloʊk/
OriginFrom 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.
- A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.
“‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’”
- A blanket-like covering, often metaphorical.
“Night hid her movements with its cloak of darkness.”
- figurativelyThat which conceals; a disguise or pretext.
“For neither at any time vſed wee flattering wordes, as yee knowe, nor a cloke of couetouſneſſe, God is witneſſe: […]”
“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.”
- InternetA text replacement for an IRC user's hostname or IP address, making the user less identifiable.
- transitiveTo cover as with or like a cloak.
“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.”
- figuratively, transitiveTo cover up, hide or conceal.
“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.”
- ambitransitiveTo render or become invisible via futuristic technology.
“The ship cloaked before entering the enemy sector of space.”
Formscloaks(plural) · cloke(alternative, obsolete) · cloaks(present, singular, third-person) · cloaking(participle, present) · cloaked(participle, past) · cloaked(past)