cloak

Etymology

From Middle English cloke, from Old Northern French cloque (“travelling cloak”), from Medieval Latin clocca (“travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so called from the garment’s bell-like shape”), of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *klokkos, ultimately imitative. Doublet of cloche and clock.

noun

1. A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.
   ‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’ 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess
2. A blanket-like covering, often metaphorical.
   Night hid her movements with its cloak of darkness.
3. (figurative) That which conceals; a disguise or pretext.
4. (Internet) A text replacement for an IRC user's hostname or IP address, making the user less identifiable.

verb

1. (transitive) To cover as with or like a cloak.
   He would hold her, just hold her, while his hands soothed the bare skin of her arms and the delicate fabric that cloaked her shoulders and her back. 2008, Bronwyn Jameson, Vows & a Vengeful Groom, Silhouette Books, page 122
2. (transitive, figurative) To cover up, hide or conceal.
   It’s possible that some microbes don’t just take up residence in tumors but help them grow. They may cloak the tumor from the immune system, neutralize drugs or help tumors spread through the body. 2022-09-29, Carl Zimmer, “A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes”, in The New York Times
3. (science fiction, transitive, intransitive) To render or become invisible via futuristic technology.
   The ship cloaked before entering the enemy sector of space.