Wiktionary

mozzetta

English

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WOTD – 9 May 2025

Etymology

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Cardinal William Goh, the Archbishop of Singapore, in a red mozzetta.
 
Canon Stanislas Louis van Outryve d’Ydewalle (left); Wim Eijk, the Archbishop of Utrecht, the Netherlands (centre); and Canon Jan Tilleman (right). They are wearing mozzettas over rochets.

Borrowed from French mozzete (obsolete) (modern French mosette, mossette), and from its etymon Italian mozzetta; further etymology uncertain, possibly either:

+ Italian -etta (feminine form of -etto (diminutive suffix)).[1][2]

The plural form mozzette is borrowed from Italian mozzette.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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mozzetta (plural mozzettas or mozzette)

  1. (Roman Catholicism) A short cape covering the shoulders and buttoned in front, with a hood, which is worn by the pope, cardinals, bishops, and other senior clergy.
    Coordinate terms: cope, mantum, pellegrina
    • 2013 February 26, Gaia Pianigiani, Elisabetta Povoledo, “Benedict XVI to be known as emeritus in retirement”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-06-24:
      Benedict [XVI], the first pope to resign voluntarily in six centuries, will dress in a simple white cassock, forgoing the mozzetta, the elbow-length cape worn by some Catholic clergymen, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters at a news briefing.
    • 2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary: Leader of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice, and an urgent response to the climate crisis”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2025-04-25:
      On that night of his election he [Pope Francis] stepped out on to the balcony overlooking Saint Peter's Square in simple white robes, refusing the fancy red mozzetta or cape that Benedict [XVI] had sported when he had been announced as pope. When told to put on white trousers, he later remembered in his autobiography, he replied: "I don't want to be an ice-cream seller."
    • 2025 April 22, “In Pictures: Symbolism on Show as Pope Francis Lies in Open Coffin”, in BBC News‎[3], archived from the original on 2025-04-28:
      The most notable figure in the room is Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the Pope [Francis]'s "camerlengo" or chamberlain and runs the Vatican until a new Pope is chosen. The cardinal – in red mozzetta and cassock – is shown blessing the body of the late Pope during the rite of the declaration of death.

Alternative forms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “mozetta, n.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2024.
  2. ^ “mozzetta, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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Etymology uncertain, possibly either:

+ -etta (feminine form of -etto (diminutive suffix)). Doublet of almuzia.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /motˈt͡set.ta/
  • Rhymes: -etta
  • Hyphenation: moz‧zét‧ta

Noun

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mozzetta f (plural mozzette)

  1. mozzetta (short cape with a hood worn by senior clergy)

Further reading

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Anagrams

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