sackcloth

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English sakcloth, sekcloth, sekclath, sekklath. By surface analysis, sack +‎ cloth. === Pronunciation === === Noun === sackcloth (countable and uncountable, plural sackcloths) A coarse hessian style of cloth used to make sacks. (usually with “and ashes”, also figurative) Garments worn as an act of penance. Synonyms: hairshirt, cilice ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “sackcloth”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.