witzchoura

See also: witz-choura

English

WOTD – 11 November 2022

Etymology

PIE word
*wĺ̥kʷos

An 1813 illustration of a witzchoura from the back.

Borrowed from French witzchoura (obsolete), vitchoura (“witzchoura”), from Polish wilczura (“(archaic) wolfskin”), from wilczy (“wolf-like, lupine”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”)) + -ura (suffix forming feminine nouns).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /vɪtˈʃʊəɹə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /vɪtˈʃʊɚɹə/
• Rhymes: -ʊəɹə
• Hyphenation: witz‧cho‧u‧ra

Noun

witzchoura (plural witzchouras)

1. (historical) A woman's fur-lined cloak, mantle, or pelisse with large sleeves, worn during the early 19th century.
   • 1817 January 1, “The Universal Advertising Sheet in La Belle Assemblee”, in La Belle Assemblée; being Bell’s Court and Fashionable Magazine (New and Improved Series), volume XIV, number 91, London: […] John Bell, […], →OCLC, page 41, column 1:

     THE GREATEST NOVELTY IN DRESS FOR THE PRESENT PERIOD, is the ENGLISH WITZCHOURA, being the most indispensible^[sic] appendage to Dress that can be conceived. It protects the wearer from the inclemencies of the weather—prevents dress from being deranged—and forms a most elegant and useful exterior covering for Evening Parties, the Theatre, Walking, or Riding. Its make is perfectly unique. A Chapeau Bras is attached to the Witzchoura, made in a very novel manner.

   • 1821, chapter X, in Scheming; […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Co., […], →OCLC, pages 160–161:

     "I'll just wrap myself up, and be ready in an instant; that old yellow witzchoura," pointing to one that lay on a chair close by Mrs. Brayforth, "is all I shall put on," she was going to add; but that old lady screamed aloud, "'Old yellow witch houra!' call me an old witch indeed! […]"

   • 1826, “A Summary of the Fashions for the Last Six Months”, in Supplement to La Belle Assemblée, or Court and Fashionable Magazine (New Series), volume IV, London: Geo[rge] B[yrom] Whittaker, […]; Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, →OCLC, page 315:

     The loose Polonese sleeve, lined and trimmed with fur, was worn with Witzchouras: the sleeve underneath fitted close to the arm.

   • 1828 December 31, “Fashions. Description of the Engravings.”, in The Lady’s Magazine; or, Mirror of the Belles-lettres, Fine Arts, Music, Drama, Fashions, &c., volume IX (New Series), London: […] John Merriman, […], →OCLC, page 666:

     This [the carriage dress], with some becoming alterations, is the Witzchoura-pelisse; and that which we have the pleasure of presenting a fac-simile of to our readers, is of light lavender satin, with a very broad border of ermine.

   • 1833, “The Ladies’ Toilet”, in The Ladies’ Pocket Magazine, part 1, London: Joseph Robins […], →OCLC, page 38:

     Mantles are still predominant in carriage dress, and a few witchouras have been introduced. This is a revived fashion, and, we believe, was originally a Russian one. The witchoura is a very ample mantle, made with a very deep collar, and cape, and long, loose sleeves. The mantle and sleeves are lined with fur, and if that is of a very expensive kind, the collar and cape are composed of it; but if not, velvet, or the material of the cloak, is employed for them.

   • 1882, Augustin Challamel, “Reign of Louis XVIII. and Charles X. 1815 to 1830.”, in Mrs. Cashel Hoey, John Lillie, transl., The History of Fashion in France; or, The Dress of Women from the Gallo-Roman Period to the Present Time. […], London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, […], →OCLC, page 202:

     Velvet "toques" were in favour; likewise velvet "witchouras," chinchilla muffs, bodices draped "à la Sévigné;" […]

   • 1886, Octave Uzanne, “The Grand Coquettes of the First Empire”, in The Frenchwoman of the Century: Fashions—Manners—Usages […], London: John C. Nimmo […], →OCLC, page 111:

     Furs, especially ermine, were worn in profusion from 1810 to 1814; nothing was seen but robes lined with ermine, witzchouras, spencers, redingotes, ermine muffs; women covered themselves as much as they were formerly uncovered.

   • 1937, C[ecil] Willett Cunnington, “From Romance to Sentiment in the ’30’s”, in English Women’s Clothing in the Nineteenth Century […], New York, N.Y.: Dover Publications, published 2013, →ISBN, page 112:

     Mantles with shawl patterns; the pelerine-cape is deeper with two points in front and one behind; the over cape is smaller in the form of a falling collar. Witzchoura Mantles revived (Winter).

   • 1979, Marybelle S. Bigelow, “Romanticism and the Industrial Age (1815–1870)”, in Fashion in History: Western Dress, Prehistoric to Present, 2nd edition, Minneapolis, Minn.: Burgess Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 243, column 2:

     The witchoura, or fur coat, continued in fashion, although the design of the sleeves, bodice, and skirt were modified to correspond to the changing silhouette of the gowns worn beneath.

   • 1989, Philippe Séguy, “Costume in the Age of Napoleon”, in Katell le Bourhis, editor, The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire 1789–1815, New York, N.Y.: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Harry N. Abrams, →ISBN, page 106:

     The witzchouras, taking its name from central Europe, a sort of fur redingote-cum-overcoat, with a raised collar and fur hood had neither belt nor pleats and made its appearance in 1808.

   • 2014, Mary Ellen Snodgrass, “Pockets”, in World Clothing and Fashion: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Social Influence, volume 2, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, published 2015, →ISBN, page 458:

     During the Napoleonic Era (1799–1815) in Europe, women's fashions abandoned the inside pocket for the columnar chemise dress and Polish Witzchoura mantle, a fur-edged cloak with open sleeves.

   • 2018, Christine Haynes, “Cosmopolitanism”, in Our Friends the Enemies: The Occupation of France after Napoleon, Cambridge, Mass., London: Harvard University Press, →ISBN, part II (Friends?), page 193:

     Meanwhile, from Russia French women adopted "witz-chouras," or fur-lined (usually wolf) coats.

Alternative forms

• witchoura, witz-choura

Translations

woman’s fur-lined cloak, mantle, or pelisse with large sleeves

• Finnish: leveähihainen turkisviitta
• French: vitchoura (fr) m
• German: Witzschoura f

Further reading

• witzchoura on Wikipedia.Wikipedia