What does cloke mean?
"Cloke" is an archaic spelling of what is today written as "cloak." As a noun, it denotes a loose, sleeveless outer garment that hangs from the shoulders and is typically fastened at the neck, worn for warmth or as an item of dress. By extension, it can refer to anything that conceals or disguises — motives, feelings, or intentions — as in speaking under a cloke of friendship. The spelling appears throughout early modern English texts, most famously in the King James Bible of 1611, where verses such as Matthew 5:40 use "cloke" in the phrase "thy cloke." Modern readers encountering "cloke" are almost certainly reading a historical document, a quotation, or a deliberate archaism; in all current writing, the standard form is "cloak." Beyond its practical meaning, the word carries strong connotations of mystery, concealment, and drama, which is why garments of this kind remain a staple of fiction involving intrigue, secrecy, and figures who move unseen.
noun"Cloke" is an archaic or obsolete spelling variant of "cloak," denoting a loose outer garment without sleeves, fastened at the neck and hanging from the shoulders. It also carried the extended sense of something that conceals or disguises one's true intentions.
- A sleeveless outer garment fastened at the neck and hanging loosely from the shoulders (archaic spelling of cloak).
- Something that serves to conceal or disguise true character or intentions (archaic spelling of cloak).
"She drew her woolen cloke about her shoulders against the evening chill."
"The traveller pulled his heavy cloke tight as the storm rolled in over the moor."
"Under that gentle cloke of courtesy, he hid a ruthless ambition."
As an archaic noun, the plural follows the regular pattern; historical texts sometimes show variant spellings such as "cloaks" even alongside "cloke." Today the plural "cloaks" is standard.
"The pilgrims hung their dripping clokes by the fire to dry."
Every time you read 'cloke' in the King James Bible — 'Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing' aside — you're seeing a 400-year-old spelling of the everyday 'cloak.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cloke
Like "cloak," the word derives from Old North French "cloque," meaning a traveler's cape, which itself traces back through Medieval Latin "clocca" — the same source that gave us the bell-shaped "clock" and French "cloche" (bell), so named because an early version of the garment resembled a bell in shape. The word entered Middle English in the medieval period, where spellings varied widely before printing helped settle conventions. "Cloke" was a common early modern English spelling, preserved notably in the King James Bible of 1611, but it gradually gave way to the modern form "cloak."
Related word forms
How cloke is actually used
"Cloke" is not used in modern writing except when quoting historical sources such as the King James Bible (1611) or early modern literature. Writers today should always use "cloak." The spelling survives in fixed quotations and in scholarly discussion of early modern English orthography.
Easily confused with cloke
"Cloak" is the modern standard spelling of the garment and figurative senses, while "cloke" is an older spelling now found only in historical texts and in the King James Bible.