Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

ALMUCE

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 719 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

ALMUCE , or See also:

AMIcE (O. Fr. aumuce, O. Eng. aumuce, amys, amess, &c., from See also:late See also:Lat. almucia, almucium, almucia, &c.), a hooded cape of See also:fur, or fur-lined, worn as a See also:choir vestment by certain dignitaries of the Western See also:Church. The origin of the word almucium is a philological See also:mystery. The al- is probably the Arabic See also:article, since the word originated in the See also:south (Sicilian almuziu, Prov. almussa, Span. almucio, &c.), but the derivation of the second See also:part of the word from a supposed old See also:Teutonic See also:term for cap—Ger. Miltze, Dutch Mutsche, See also:Scot. mulch (New Eng. See also:Diet. s. " Amice "; See also:Diez, W orterbuch der See also:ram. Sprachen) —is the exact See also:reverse of the truth. The almuce was originally a See also:head-covering only, worn by the See also:clergy, but adopted also by the laity, and the See also:German word See also:Maize, " cap," is later than the introduction of the almuce in church, and is derived from it (M. H. G., 13th See also:century, almutz; 14th century, armuz, aremuz, &c.; 15th century, mutz, mutze, &c.).

The word mutzen, to See also:

dock, cut off, which first appears in the 14th century, does not help much, though the name of another vestment akin to the almuce—the mozzetta—has been by some traced to it through the Ital. mozzare and mozzo (but see below). In numerous documents from the 12th to the 15th century the almucium is mentioned, occasionally as identical with the See also:hood, but more often as a sort of cap distinct from it, e.g. in the decrees of the See also:council of See also:Sens (1485)—non caputia, sed almucia vel bireta tenentes in capite. By the 14th century two types of almucium were distinguished: (I) a cap coming down just over the ears; (2) a hood-like cap falling over the back and shoulders. This latter was reserved for the more important canons, and was worn over See also:surplice or See also:rochet in choir. The introduction of the See also:biretta (q.v.) in the 15th century tended to replace the use of the almuce as a head-covering, and the hood now became smaller, while the cape was enlarged till in some cases it See also:fell below the elbows. Another See also:form of almuce at this See also:period covered the back, but was cut away at the shoulders so as to leave the arms See also:free, while in front it was elongated into two See also:stole-like ends. Almuces were occasionally made of See also:silk or See also:wool, but from the 13th century onward usually of fur, the hem being sometimes fringed with tails. Hence they were known in See also:England as " See also:grey amices " (from the See also:ordinary See also:colour of the fur), to distinguish them from the liturgical amice (q.v.). By the 16th century the almuce had become definitely established as the distinctive choir vestment of canons; but it had ceased to have any See also:practical use, and was often only carried over the See also:left See also:arm as a See also:symbol of See also:office. The almuce has now been almost entirely superseded by the mozzetta, but it is still worn at some cathedrals in See also:France, e.g. See also:Amiens and See also:Chartres, at three churches in See also:Rome, and in certain cathedrals elsewhere in See also:Italy. The "grey amice" of the canons of St See also:Paul's at See also:London was put down in 1549, the See also:academic hood being substituted.

It was again put down in 1559, and was finally forbidden to the clergy of the See also:

English Church by the unratified canons of 1591 (See also:Report of the sub-See also:committee of See also:Convocation, 1908). See du Cange, Glossarium, s. " Almucia "; See also:Joseph Braun, See also:Die liturgische Gewandung, p. 359, &c. !See also:Freiburg hp See also:Breisgau, 19o7); also the bibliography to the article See also:VESTMENTS.

End of Article: ALMUCE

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
ALMSHOUSE 		[next]
ALNAGE, or ALLNAGE (from Fr. aune, ell)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries