Searchable Lemmata: cappa (L), cæppa (OE), cop (OE), copp (Ir) cop (W), capa (Corn), cob (Corn), cába (Ir), càb (SG), chape (AF), cappe (ME), cape (ME), cope (ME), cap (OScots), cape (OScots), cope (OScots), cap (MdE), cape (MdE), cope (MdE).
Alternate Forms: cæppan, cæppe, cap, capa, capam, capas, cape, capes, capp, cappen, cappes, cappis, capporum, cep, chap, chapee, chapes, coip, coppis, gob, jape, kappa, kappe, keppen, kob, koopis.
NOTE(n.) ;
uses of cap, cape, cappa, chape, cope, etc. cover various senses related to covering, incuding MdE cloak, cape, cope as well as MdE 'cap', a type of hat or head-covering with various meanings. MdE 'cap' generally refers to types of headgear, 'cape' to an overgarment which fastens at the neck and falls loosely from the shoulders on which it is positioned symetrically, and 'cope' to the ecclesiastical overgarment. These distinctions are not generally applicable in earlier usage. Forms beginning with ch- (such as AF chape) are also included here.
Sex: Male, Female, Infant Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
1a(n.)
Garment;
outer garment; cloak, cape or mantle; often sleeveless, worn both by secular and clergy.(ante 700 still in current use)
9. [7621] ... Þa Hengest hine igrap mid grimmen his gripen & bi þan mantle hine ibræid þat breken þa strenges ... [7728] ... Þa turres cop mitte weoren [Otho: þe toppe mihte wreie] a cniht mid his capen [Otho: cope].
Heroic, Historic.
[MED Lay.Brut ((Clg A.9) 7621-7782) circa 1205]
10. quedam capa serica venit Lond' venalis, que cuntas capas Anglicanas excellit pulcritudine et ornatu
Accounts.
[DMLBS Cl (271) circa 1244]
11. pannus recens et novellus / fit vel capa vel mantellus, / sed secundum tempora / primum capa; post pusillum / transmutatur hec in illum / ... / antiquata decollatur / decollata mantellatur
Poetic.
[DMLBS Pol. Songs (52) circa 1250]
Sex: Male, Female Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: Back, Head, Neck, Shoulder(s).
1b(n.)
Garment;
specifically, an ecclesiastic outer garment; MdE (ecclesiastic) cope; as worn by a priest, cardinal, the Pope, a papal emissary, etc.; also: a chasuble.(ante 700 still in current use)
2. Þonne seðe on þære geferræddene to þære þenunga nytwyrðost sy, scryde hine mid superhumerale and mid alban and stolan and handline and planetan, þæt is godwebben cæppe
[DOE Lit 5.11.1 (Fehr) (0005 (16))]
3. offero secretario ... monestarii ... clamidem cocineam, qua indutus eram in coronatione mea, ad capam inde sive casulam faciendam
[DMLBS CS (409) circa 833]
4. Þæt is þonne an Cristesboc mid sylure berenod & III rode eac mid sylure berenode, II sylurene candelsticcan & II ouergylde & I sylurene storcille & I æren & I sylurene waterfet & II sylurene bellen & IIII silurene calices, IIII patenan & syluren pipe & VI massehacelan & IIII cæppan & I roc & VIII stolan, emfela handlina & XI subumbrale & II pistolclaþas & III corporale & III offrincsceatas & XVIIII albæn & IIII pælles & II linenweb to albæn & II blace ręgl cęsternisce & VI uuahryft & VIIII setreil & X hangiende bellan VII handbellan & IIII bedreaf & VI hornas IIII gerenode & VIII sylfrene cuppan & II gegylde weofodsceatas.
Legal, Other, Wills.
[DOE Ch 1448 (Rob 39) (0002 (3)) 963]
10. planetam: pleyn (D) pal (T) pal hairunner (A) / casulam: chape close (CO) cap et pal close (A) cape close (D) chap close (L) pal vel cape cloce (T) ... reculas: de beubelés, beubelés vel jueus, beubloss [sic] , bebielés ... birri: cherouns ... levitonaria: escapeloris, heykis, ekies, heykes, scapoloris, happruns ... armilausas: espaulers, apaulers ... galearia: garland de or (var. chapeus de feutre)
Gloss.
[AND TLL (ii 50) circa 1275/1299]
13. [19] ... Þer sit an old cherl in a blake hure ... [22] ... Furst þer sit an old cherl in a blake hure ... An heme in an herygoud wiþ honginde sleuen ... [46] ... Nou wol vch fol clerc ... come to countene court, couren in a cope ... [55] ... Þer stont vp a 3eolumon, 3e3eþ wiþ a 3erde ... ant cleopeþ Magge ant Malle
Historic, Poetic.
[MED Ne mai no lewed ((Hrl 2253) 19-55) circa 1325]
16. [45/17] ... I gyff to ouere blissyd lady & hir colage at lincoln ... a hole westment of redveluet cloth of gold & blak, palid with white cloth of gold etwyne ... [45/24] ... Also, I giff to the hous of thornton a cope of redde veluet opon Satyn orfrade with white damaske enbrouded
Legal.
[MED Lin.DDoc. (45/17-24) 1450/1451]
18. Cysgu ar blu neu bliant / A llennau, cylchedau, cant / Ymysg o gwrlidau mil, / A'r porffor drud o'r pwrffil / A'r gra ar gymar a'r gob. / A'i wisgoedd - wi o'r esgob.
[GPC GIG (77,79-84) circa 1350/1360]
Sex: Male Use: Ecclesiastical Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: Yes
Body Parts: Back, Shoulder(s).
1c(n.)
Garment;
ceremonial gown; used by scholastics and court members.(circa 1350)
Sex: Male Use: n/a Status: High Rank: High Ceremonial: Yes
Body Parts:
1d(n.)
Headgear;
close-fitting hat or head covering; resembling MdE cap or (in some cases) a hood. The term was frequently used to refer to headgear worn by an archbishop; also, a similar headcovering as worn under a hood or over a priest's tonsure; cowl or hood of a friar, monk or nun (cf. freres cope), with some overlap with sense 1b; a headcovering, hat or cap worn by secular. The term was also used metaphorically to refer to a covering of feathers or hair. Also, a fool's cap or headgear, including horns; in expressions, such as 'set the cap', to make a fool out of some one (as in: 'a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe', Chaucer, CT, Miller's Tale, A.3143).(ante 1000 still in current use)
6. licenciam dedimus ... quod ipse ... sex duodenas capporum et hattorum in quadam navi in portu London' carcare et usque partes Scocie ... ducere possit
[DMLBS RScot (34a) circa 1381]
10. [1-2] ... in youre citee of London of haberdasshers and hatters that where þe hurers other wise clepud cappers ... to have þe serche of alle them that selle or make hures bonetz and cappes withinne þe said citee and iiii mile aboute ... [9] ... werkers of the said hures bonetz and cappes þat have ben dayly living therby the which if the said hurerz had the serche over hem ... [12] ... it shuld cause grete derthe of hures bonetz and cappes for every hure bonette and cappe wherof is now grete plente and easy price ...
Legal.
[LexP NA [PRO] SC 8/307/15336 (1-12) 1448]
Sex: Male, Female, Infant Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: Head.
2(n.)
Garment;
cleric (by metaphorical extension).(ante 1405 - circa 1450)
Sex: Male Use: Ecclesiastical Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
3(n.)
Accessory;
covering or cap of various descriptions; here, a cloth covering.(ante 1300 ?)
1. [67] ... lumbaribus: braylers, de braelleys ... capucium: chaperon ... lupatum: chanfren, chanefren ... laciniis: des espauns, anglice gores ... [68] ... beverina: de bevere, lutre ... pulvillum: baz, bace, la bas ... tapetum: cape vel chaluns, cape ... [68.64] ... vestis stragulata: vesture rayé ... [69] ... indumenta: fulemens ... ad opus anaglapharium: burdure, a sutil evere a fere ... tecam: deeyl, deel, delley
Gloss.
[AND TLL (ii 67-69) ante 1300]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
Definite, Latin capa, cappa (for a similar development, cf. Latin papa, OE papa, ME pape, pope, MdE pope). In the 12th century, Middle English cape, cope apparently represented an Old English weak, feminine form *cápe, following medieval Latin capa [OED, 2nd ed., 1989], whence MdE cope.
Medieval Latin uses both cappa and capa interchangeably, but the latter is more prevalent. From cappa, we get cæppe, *cappe, *cap; and from capa, *cape and *cope. The sense in the Latin seems to have been originally applied to a woman's cap or headcovering (Isidore, a. 636, has XIX. xxxi. 3 (De ornamentis capitis feminarum): ‘cappa ... quia capitis ornamentum est'), then to a hooded cloak, and then to a cloak or cape having a hood, and finally to a priest's cope. The form capa (with a long a) seems to have been applied early on to ecclesiastical dress, although it does not appear in Old English texts. It does appear as early as Layamon, early enough to undergo the phonetic change from OE short a to ME long o.
WF:
Etym Cog: kápa (Nors).
References:
