Tunic, << TOO nihk, >> is a loose, short garment that is slipped on over the head and usually belted at the waist. The name comes from the Latin word tunica. The tunica was a garment worn by people of ancient Rome. The men covered it with the toga, and the women with the palla. In ancient Greece, men and women wore a similar garment called the chiton. In the Middle Ages, Europeans wore tunics called surcoats. Today, tunic-style dresses and shirts are often worn.
Tunic, or tunicle, also means a robe worn by subdeacons of the Roman Catholic Church and some Episcopal churches. They wear it at Mass.
