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toga

Etymology and origin of the English word toga

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtəʊ.ɡə/ (UK); /ˈtoʊ.ɡə/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin toga (“cloak, mantle”),[2][3][4][5][6] related to tegere “to cover”,[3][5][6] from the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)teg- “to cover”.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The outer garment of a Roman citizen in time of peace (1600).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

In Rome the toga was the national dress, permitted only to free citizens.[4] English has used the word figuratively for a robe of office or a professional gown since 1738 (Barnhart dates this sense to 1855),[7][3] and to express professional authority.[4]

Timeline

  • 1600 – the garment of a Roman citizen.[7][3][5]
  • 1738 – a robe of office, a professional gown.[7]
  • 1887 – compounds such as toga-like.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A loose one-piece outer garment worn in public by citizens of ancient Rome.
  2. A robe of office; a professional, academic or ceremonial gown.

Word family

  • togaed
  • togate
  • tegument
  • protect
  • thatch
  • deck

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Toga.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/toga. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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