I. ˈkōt, usu -d.+V noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English cote, from Old French cote, cotte, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German kozza, kozzo coarse mantle, Old Saxon kot woolen coat, and probably to German dialect chūz disheveled hair, chūder, kauder oakum; perhaps akin to Greek beudos feminine attire
1.
a. : an outer garment (as a raincoat) usually with long sleeves, a collar, and a single-breasted or double-breasted front opening made of fabric, fur, or plastic and varying in length and style according to fashion and use
b.
(1) now dialect : petticoat , skirt — usually used in plural
(2) South : dress 3
c. archaic : habit or clothing indicating the order, class, profession, or office : cloth , profession
men of his coat should be minding their prayers — Jonathan Swift
d. : something resembling a coat in covering
a coat of tan
or pervading
a thick coat of gloom enveloped the prairies — J.H.Gray
or serving as an article of dress
if malice and vanity wear the coat of philanthropy — R.W.Emerson
2. : coats of arms
3. : the external growth on animals like a garment (as of fur, skin, wool, or feathers)
the horses' coats were sleek
4. : a layer of any substance covering another: as
a. : a cover or lining especially of an animal organ : membrane : husk , bark
the coat of the eyeball
the coats of an onion
b. : a layer of a protective or ornamental substance (as paint or plaster) laid on in a single application
three coats of paint on the wall
5. obsolete : coat money
6. obsolete : face card
7. nautical : a piece of tarred or painted canvas to keep out water fastened about the mast, bowsprit, or pumps where they pass through the deck or about the rudder casing
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English coten, from cote, n.
1. : to cover or dress with a coat or outer garment
2. : to cover or spread with a finishing, protecting, or enclosing layer of any substance
coat a surface with paraffin
frost coats the window
coat glass with silver to make a mirror