A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Ladies may wear a long (over the shoulders or to ankles) cloak usually called a cape, or a full-length cloak. Gentlemen wear an ankle-length or full-length cloak. Formal cloaks often have expensive, colored linings and trimmings such as silk, satin, velvet, and fur. Cloaks are also used in literature and the arts, especially in the fantasy genre, due to the popularity of medieval settings. They are usually associated with witches, wizards, and vampires.
According to Merriam-Webster, a cloak can also suggest a means of hiding a movement or an intention, or something that envelops or conceals. Cambridge English Dictionary defines a cloak as something that hides, covers, or keeps something else secret. Collins Dictionary defines a cloak as a long, loose, sleeveless piece of clothing which people used to wear over their other clothes when they went out, and something that covers or conceals.
