What does guimpe mean?
The guimpe is an uncommon English noun with two related historical senses. Its primary sense is a cloth covering the neck and shoulders, especially the covering worn beneath a nun's veil. The term was also used for a high-necked, long-sleeved women's blouse or chemise, particularly in 19th-century dress. In modern English, both senses are uncommon, so the word is more likely to appear in descriptions of religious clothing, historical costume, or dictionaries than in everyday speech. A guimpe is related to, but not identical with, a wimple: a wimple may also extend around the head, whereas a guimpe principally covers the neck and shoulders. The word's unusual history—French in origin and sharing a Germanic source with wimple—makes it especially useful when studying clothing, religious habits, or the history of English vocabulary.
nounA cloth covering the neck and shoulders, especially the covering worn by a nun beneath her veil. The word was also used for a high-necked, long-sleeved woman's blouse or chemise, a sense now chiefly historical.
- A cloth covering the neck and shoulders, especially one worn by a nun beneath her veil.
- A high-necked, long-sleeved woman's blouse or chemise, now chiefly historical.
"The nun adjusted her white guimpe before drawing the veil over her head."
"At the monastery, the novice's white guimpe framed her face beneath the veil."
"Pressed silk and lace gave the Victorian guimpe the appearance of a refined undergarment."
The regular plural of the noun, though the word is uncommon enough that the plural is rarely needed.
"The collection includes two guimpes and several wimples from the nineteenth century."
A guimpe and a wimple share a Germanic ancestor, preserving a link between medieval headwear and modern nuns' dress.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of guimpe
The English noun comes from French guimpe, from Old French guimple, and ultimately from Frankish wimpil. The same Germanic source produced English wimple and the cognate German Wimpel. Guimpe was used for a nun's neck-and-shoulder covering and was later applied to a fashionable women's blouse.
How guimpe is actually used
The word is standard but uncommon in modern British and American English. Its religious sense survives in descriptions of nuns' clothing, while the women's-blouse sense is chiefly associated with 19th-century fashion.
Easily confused with guimpe
A wimple may cover the head, chin, and neck, whereas a guimpe principally covers the neck and shoulders.