Library / English Dictionary

ROBE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Outerwear consisting of a long flowing garment used for official or ceremonial occasions

Synonyms:

gown; robe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("robe" is a kind of...):

outerwear; overclothes (clothing for use outdoors)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "robe"):

academic gown; academic robe; judge's robe (a gown worn by academics or judges)

vestment (gown (especially ceremonial garments) worn by the clergy)

Derivation:

robe (clothe formally; especially in ecclesiastical robes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any loose flowing garment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("robe" is a kind of...):

garment (an article of clothing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "robe"):

abaya ((Arabic) a loose black robe from head to toe; traditionally worn by Muslim women)

bathrobe (a loose-fitting robe of towelling; worn after a bath or swim)

dressing gown; lounging robe; robe-de-chambre (a robe worn before dressing or while lounging)

kimono (a loose robe; imitated from robes originally worn by Japanese)

Derivation:

robe (clothe formally; especially in ecclesiastical robes)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Clothe formally; especially in ecclesiastical robes

Synonyms:

robe; vest

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "robe" is one way to...):

apparel; clothe; dress; enclothe; fit out; garb; garment; habilitate; raiment; tog (provide with clothes or put clothes on)

Verb group:

vest (clothe oneself in ecclesiastical garments)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

robe (outerwear consisting of a long flowing garment used for official or ceremonial occasions)

robe (any loose flowing garment)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cover as if with clothing

Example:

the mountain was clothed in tropical trees

Synonyms:

cloak; clothe; drape; robe

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "robe" is one way to...):

cover; spread over (form a cover over)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

Yes, I know exactly what you will say: Friday, went to the Lower Rooms; wore my sprigged muslin robe with blue trimmings—plain black shoes—appeared to much advantage; but was strangely harassed by a queer, half-witted man, who would make me dance with him, and distressed me by his nonsense.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

There were milkmaids and shepherdesses, with brightly colored bodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses with most gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherds dressed in knee breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them, and golden buckles on their shoes; and princes with jeweled crowns upon their heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; and funny clowns in ruffled gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall, pointed caps. And, strangest of all, these people were all made of china, even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than Dorothy's knee.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

He was as well received as the others had been, and the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him; and when the evening came he was led to the outer chamber.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

At their backs rose a perpendicular wall of rock, and Perrault and François were compelled to make their fire and spread their sleeping robes on the ice of the lake itself.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

It is no devil, I assure you; or if it be, it has put on the robes of an angel of light.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

By his black robe and the eight-pointed cross upon his sleeve, Alleyne recognized him as one of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, whose presbytery was at Baddesley.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Negore was armed with a miserable bone-barbed spear, and he kept his rabbit-skin robe wrapped closely about him, and though the day was warm he shivered as with an ague.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Van Helsing raised his lantern and drew the slide; by the concentrated light that fell on Lucy's face we could see that the lips were crimson with fresh blood, and that the stream had trickled over her chin and stained the purity of her lawn death-robe.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Very clever were some of their productions, pasteboard guitars, antique lamps made of old-fashioned butter boats covered with silver paper, gorgeous robes of old cotton, glittering with tin spangles from a pickle factory, and armor covered with the same useful diamond shaped bits left in sheets when the lids of preserve pots were cut out.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

He kept François busy, for the dog-driver was in constant apprehension of the life-and-death struggle between the two which he knew must take place sooner or later; and on more than one night the sounds of quarrelling and strife among the other dogs turned him out of his sleeping robe, fearful that Buck and Spitz were at it.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)