Scapular

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈskapjÊŠlÉ™/

Origin

From Latin scapulāre, from Latin scapula ("shoulder"). Compare scapulary.

Full definition of scapular

Noun

1. (Christianity) A short cloak worn around the shoulders, adopted as part of the uniform of various religious orders, later often with an embroidered image of a saint. from 15th c.
• 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society 2012, p. 30:A scapular, or friar's coat, for example, was a coveted object to be worn as a preservative against pestilence or the ague ….
• 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 409:She granted the Whitefriars identical powers to the Blackfriars, to bless a part of their friar's habit which draped over their shoulders and was known as the scapular; now laity could wear it and derive spiritual privileges from it.
2. (zoology) One of a special group of feathers which arise from each of the scapular regions and lie along the sides of the back.
3. A bandage passing over the shoulder to support it, or to retain another bandage in place.
4. (Christianity) A cloth talisman, usually with an embroidered image of a saint, worn around the neck.

Adjective

1. Of or pertaining to the scapula. from 18th c.

Related terms

• scaption

Anagrams

• capsular