Frock

Various types of loose-fitting outer garment Charles Blair in a frock (c. 1761–66), a coat with a flat collar. Frock has been used since Middle English as the name for an article of clothing, typically coat-like, for men and women. Terminology In British English and in Commonwealth countries the word may be used as an alternative term for a girl's or woman's dress, in particular for a dress suitable for a smart occasion but (in UK English usage) with a hemline higher than a full-length ballgown. In Australia it is frequently used this way, with the phrase "to frock up" meaning to wear a formal dress or gown for a special occasion. Relatedly, a frock coat is a men's coat style of the 19th century, characterized by full skirts reaching to the lower thigh or knee. Despite the similarity in the name, the frock coat should be regarded as being a distinct garment quite separate from the frock. In the French language the frock coat is called une redingote (from English "riding coat"), and so, unlike the English term, implies no immediate relationship to the frock which is called une fraque. Indeed, the modern French word for a tail coat is un frac which better betrays the historical rel