Scapular
/ˈskæp.jə.lɚ/noun
A shoulder covering or a religious garment worn over the shoulders.
Did you know?Scapular comes from Latin scapulae, meaning the shoulder blades, and the name was later transferred to a devotional Christian garment because it literally rests on the shoulders.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*(s)kep-
“to cut, split, or scrape”
Latin
Latin
scapulae
“shoulder blades”
Late Latin
Latin
scapularis
“of or belonging to the shoulders”
Medieval Latin
Latin
scapulare
“a shoulder garment or vestment”
14th–17th Century
English
scapular
“a garment worn over the shoulders; later a religious shoulder vestment”