Mozzetta
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A short cape covering the shoulders and buttoned in front, with a hood, which is worn by the pope, cardinals, bishops, and other senior clergy.
"Benedict [XVI], the first pope to resign voluntarily in six centuries, will dress in a simple white cassock, forgoing the mozzetta, the elbow-length cape worn by some Catholic clergymen, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters at a news briefing."
Example
More examples"Benedict [XVI], the first pope to resign voluntarily in six centuries, will dress in a simple white cassock, forgoing the mozzetta, the elbow-length cape worn by some Catholic clergymen, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters at a news briefing."
Etymology
Borrowed from a merger of French mozzete (obsolete) (modern French mosette, mossette), and from its etymon Italian mozzetta; further etymology uncertain, possibly either: * from Italian mozzo (“cut off; shortened”, adjective) (from Vulgar Latin *mutius, from Latin mutilus (“mutilated”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mewt- (“cut short”)); or * from Late Latin almucia (“hood or cape with a hood worn by clergy”) (further etymology unknown) + Italian -etta (feminine form of -etto (diminutive suffix)). The plural form mozzette is borrowed from Italian mozzette. Doublet of mosette.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.