Scapular

:Scapular can also mean related to the scapula (shoulder bone).

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A scapular (Latin, scapula, shoulder) is a Roman Catholic devotional artifact in the form of a cloth pendant, the wearing of which is believed by the faithful to confer a benefit to the wearer. The Church considers it a sacramental. It can also refer to the article of clerical vestments from which it evolved. For purposes of this article, "scapular" refers to the smaller version worn by the laity. The clerical vestment will be referred to as a "monastic scapular".

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In its original form, the scapular is part of the habit of many monastic orders. Here it is a shoulder-wide length of cloth with a collar in the middle, worn over the traditional robe or cassock, almost like a sleeveless surcoat. It is the equivalent of the analabus worn in the Eastern tradition.

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The modern "lay" form of the scapular (sometimes called the "reduced scapular", but this usage is archaic) is much smaller, designed to be unobtrusive and can be worn under regular clothing. It consists of two small squares of cloth, wood or laminated paper bearing religious images joined by two bands of cloth. It is worn so that one band is across each shoulder and that one square rests on the chest and the other on the back. Older forms of scapulae exist that have extra bands running under the arms and connecting the squares.

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Latin: Latin is an Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. It gained great importance as the formal language of the Roman Empire. All Romance languages are descended from Latin, and many words based on Latin are found in other modern languages such as English. The ...

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Vestment: Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religions, especially the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican Churches. Many other Protestant groups also make use of vestments, but this was a point of controversy in the English Reformation....