What does cagoule mean?
A cagoule is a lightweight, usually waterproof hooded jacket designed to protect the wearer from rain and wind. The word is used chiefly in British English; American speakers are more likely to say rain jacket or windbreaker for the same garment. Typically made of coated nylon or similar synthetic fabric, a cagoule is often packable, folding down small enough to carry in a bag until needed. It carries a practical, unglamorous connotation, evoking school trips, hill walking, and festival weekends rather than high fashion. The term derives from the French cagoule, meaning a monk's hood or cowl, itself ultimately linked to the idea of a covering for the head. In everyday use it appears in phrases such as waterproof cagoule and packable cagoule, and its plural is simply cagoules. For anyone writing about British outdoor life or weather-wear, cagoule is the natural, idiomatic choice.
nounA lightweight, usually waterproof hooded anorak or raincoat worn as protection against rain or wind.
- A lightweight hooded waterproof garment worn against rain or wind.
"She pulled on her cagoule and set off along the windswept coastal path."
"He stuffed a folded cagoule into his backpack before heading into the hills."
"The children wore bright cagoules on the school trip despite the drizzle."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple garments, e.g. a shop's stock of jackets.
"The outdoor shop displayed rows of brightly coloured cagoules."
The cagoule takes its name from the French word for a monk's hood — so every rainy-day jacket you own descends from medieval monastic dress.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cagoule
The word comes from French cagoule, which originally denoted a monk's hood or cowl. It was borrowed into English in the early twentieth century to describe the modern hooded rainproof garment, retaining both the sense of a head covering and the association with weather protection.
How cagoule is actually used
Cagoule is used far more commonly in British English than American English, where 'rain jacket' or 'windbreaker' is preferred. It has a slightly informal, practical register, often associated with hiking, camping, and school wear.
Easily confused with cagoule
A cageling is a bird kept in a cage, whereas a cagoule is a hooded raincoat — the words share only a superficial resemblance in spelling.