Meanings
scapulary1
plural scapularies
- biologyscapular
- A form of brace or suspender for keeping a belt or body bandage in place; it is made of a broad roller bandage split half way, the undivided part being in front, the divided ends passing over the shoulders and down the back.
The friar put his hand under his scapulary, and drawing out a small linen bag which hung round his neck, took from it a bit of parchment[…]
1863, George Eliot, Romola, Volume I, Book I, Chapter X, page 1871 more example
Like fairies in general the Korrigan steal children, against which the remedy usually employed is, to place the child under the protection of the Virgin, by putting a rosary or a scapulary about its neck.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 432
scapulary2
- not comparablescapular
Synonyms & antonyms
noungarment consisting of a long wide piece of woolen cloth worn over the shoulders with an opening for the head; part of a monastic habit
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
scapulary · noun
- Latinscapulārium, scapulāre
- Middle Englishscapelarie
- Englishscapulary
From Middle English scapelarie, from Latin scapulārium, scapulāre.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →scapulary · adjective
- Latinscapulārius
- Middle Frenchscapulaire
- Englishscapulary
From Middle French scapulaire and Latin scapulārius. By surface analysis, scapula + -ary.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
scapulary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scapulary
“scapulary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scapulary. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scapulary,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scapulary.
Source: scapulary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.