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smock

Apparel
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A loose, shirt-like garment worn as a protective outer layer over clothing, historically worn by agricultural laborers, artisans, and as a woman's undergarment.

Detailed Definition
The smock is a garment of work and practicality, its loose, often gathered shape allowing for free movement in the fields, workshop, or kitchen. In poetry, the smock appears in scenes of rural labor—plowing, milking, harvesting—and its often white or undyed linen suggests cleanliness and humility. It is also a woman's undergarment in the 18th century, so it can carry an intimate, sensual charge. In love poetry, a smock might be undone at the neck, revealing a collarbone. In elegies for the working class, a stained or tattered smock is a poignant symbol of hardship and endurance. Its full sleeves and wide body make it a generous garment, and poets often describe its movement in the wind, waving like a flag of the fields.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Her smock of white linen was a garment of work and of art"; "He wore his smock to the studio, a shield against the paint"; "The smock's full sleeves were wings for her arms"; "She pulled on her smock and became the woman in the field"; "The smock, stained with ink, was the badge of his trade"; "He took off his smock and became a man, not a craftsman"
Additional Notes
The smock is a garment of work and practicality, its loose, often gathered shape allowing for free movement in the fields, workshop, or kitchen. In poetry, the smock appears in scenes of rural labor—plowing, milking, harvesting—and its often white or undyed linen suggests cleanliness and humility. It is also a woman's undergarment in the 18th century, so it can carry an intimate, sensual charge. In love poetry, a smock might be undone at the neck, revealing a collarbone. In elegies for the working class, a stained or tattered smock is a poignant symbol of hardship and endurance. Its full sleeves and wide body make it a generous garment. Related terms include frock, shirt, and shift. Students should note the smock's associations with rural labor and practical, humble living.
Also Known As
artist's frock loose tunic workman's blouse
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