Dictionary

cilice en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪlɪs/

Etymology

From French cilice, from Latin cilicium (“clothing made of goatskin”), from Cilicia where it originates from.

Meanings

1. A garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair worn close to the skin used by members of various Christian traditions as a self-imposed means of penance (repentance) and mortification of the flesh.
   • It was deemed meritorious to disfigure the body by neglect and filth, to extenuate it by fasting and watchfulness, to lacerate it with stripes, and to fret the wounds with cilices of horsehair. 1824, Robert Southey, “View of the Papal System”, in The Book of the Church. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, pages 305–306:
2. (in Opus Dei) A leather strap studded with metallic barbs that cut into flesh as a constant reminder of Christ's suffering.
   • All she had done was give Teena a cilice, a barbed metal chain she was to tie around her thigh for two hours every day, and a discipline, a rope whip with knotted ends she was to use on her back when she prayed the Hail Mary. 2024 March 16, Antonia Cundy, “The Opus Dei diaries”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 18:

Forms

Deriveds

chain cilice · hairshirt cilice

Relateds

Cilicia

Synonyms

sackcloth · hairshirt

Translations (18)

ru вре́тище (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · ru власяни́ца (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · de Cilicium (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · uk волосяниця (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · cy crys rhawn (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · cmn 粗衣 (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · pl włosienica (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · uk верета (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · de Büsserhemd (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · cmn 褐衣 (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · de Büßerhemd (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · bg власеница (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · io cilico (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · fi jouhipaita (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · uk власяни́ця (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · ca cilici (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · mk власе́ница (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair) · de härenes Hemd (garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair)