What does chasuble mean?
The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by the priest or bishop who presides at the Eucharist or Mass in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and certain other Christian traditions. Sleeveless and shaped rather like a poncho, it slips over the head and falls to about knee length on all sides, usually covering the stole and alb beneath it. Chasubles are made in the liturgical colors of the day — white, red, green, violet, black, gold, or rose — and range from plain unadorned linen to richly brocaded silk worked with crosses, saints, and gold thread. The garment descends from the casula, a simple hooded Roman traveling cloak, which was adopted for church use as everyday dress changed around it; over centuries its cut evolved from full bell shape to the narrower Roman 'fiddleback' form and back again after the Second Vatican Council. Because it marks the principal celebrant alone, the chasuble carries strong connotations of sacred office and solemnity, appearing constantly in descriptions of worship, church art, and historical fiction.
nounA sleeveless outer vestment worn by the celebrant at the Eucharist or Mass in many Christian liturgical traditions, typically ornamented and worn over other liturgical garments.
- The principal outer vestment, sleeveless and typically ornate, worn by the celebrant at the Eucharist or Mass in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and some other Christian rites.
"The priest lifted the golden chasuble from the sacristy chest before the Easter vigil."
"The bishop vested in a white linen chasuble embroidered with gold thread for the ordination Mass."
"Medieval chasubles grew so heavy with embroidery that they had to be cut away at the sides to free the celebrant's arms."
Standard plural; used when referring to multiple vestments, e.g., in a sacristy collection or across different liturgical colors.
"The cathedral's sacristy holds chasubles in every liturgical color, some centuries old."
The chasuble began life as an ordinary Roman rain cloak — the 'little house' (casula) that shielded travelers — before it became one of Christianity's most sacred garments.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chasuble
Chasuble comes via Old French 'chasuble' from Late Latin 'casubula' (also 'casula'), a diminutive of 'casa' meaning a small hut — hence figuratively 'little house,' a fitting name for a tent-like cloak. The term originally denoted an ordinary hooded outdoor garment of the later Roman Empire before being adopted as a liturgical vestment as secular fashion diverged from church dress. English borrowed the word in the medieval period through French ecclesiastical usage.
How chasuble is actually used
Formal, ecclesiastical register; encountered mainly in discussions of liturgy, church history, vestment design, and religious art. In older usage the word could occasionally refer to any outer cloak, but this sense is obsolete. Plural is 'chasubles'.
Easily confused with chasuble
A cassock is a close-fitting ankle-length clerical garment worn daily by clergy, whereas a chasuble is a loose sleeveless vestment worn only over other garments during the Eucharist.
A cope is a long semicircular cape fastened at the chest with a clasp, while a chasuble is a poncho-like sleeveless vestment reserved for the principal celebrant at Mass.