What does disfrocking mean?
Disfrocking is the act of formally stripping a member of the clergy of their priestly status, holy orders, or right to perform ministerial duties. It typically occurs as an ecclesiastical punishment following serious misconduct, doctrinal deviation, or other grave violations of religious law, and is usually carried out by a bishop, synod, or denominational authority. By extension, the word can be used figuratively to describe the removal of anyone from a professional body or position of trust, though this usage is informal. Disfrocking derives from 'frock' — historically the garment worn by monks and clergy — combined with the prefix 'dis-', meaning to remove or reverse. In contemporary English, the closely related verb 'defrock' is more frequently used than 'disfrock', though both carry the same meaning and register: formal, institutional, and carrying connotations of shame and public censure.
noun (gerund of the verb 'disfrock')The act of formally stripping a member of the clergy of their priestly status, office, or right to exercise ministry; by extension, the dismissal or expulsion of someone from a profession or organization.
- The formal removal of a cleric's holy orders or ministerial status, especially as ecclesiastical punishment.
- Informal or figurative removal of a person from a profession, position, or organization.
"The bishop's decision to defrock the priest was announced after months of internal investigation."
"After the abuse allegations were substantiated, the Vatican moved swiftly toward the defrocking of the former cardinal."
"The union's disfrocking of the corrupt official sent a clear message to its membership."
Rarely pluralized; when used, it refers to multiple separate instances of clerical removal.
"The diocese had seen three disfrockings in as many years."
A priest can lose his collar over scandal — and the church has a word for taking it away that literally means removing his 'frock'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disfrocking
The word combines the prefix 'dis-' with 'frock', which entered English in the 14th century from Old French 'froc', itself likely of Germanic origin. A frock was originally the long garment worn by monks and members of the clergy, so to 'disfrock' someone was literally to remove their identifying clerical garment. The term developed its figurative sense of stripping clerical authority during the early modern period. It shares its root with 'defrock' and 'unfrock', which emerged as parallel constructions.
Related word forms
How disfrocking is actually used
The verb 'disfrock' is now considerably less common than 'defrock' in modern usage, though both are attested. The term applies specifically to Christian clergy; for other professions (lawyers, doctors), terms like 'disbarred' or 'struck off' are preferred. The gerund/noun form is relatively rare compared to the verb itself.
Easily confused with disfrocking
Defrocking and unfrocking are variant forms of essentially the same word; 'defrock' is now far more common than 'disfrock', but all mean removing clerical status.