Also white-coat, † white coat.
1. A soldier wearing a white or light-colored coat: cf. BUFF-COAT 2. (Also attrib.) Obs. exc. Hist. b. In modern times, an Austrian soldier.
1555. in Arb., Garner, VIII. 60. A certain Band of White Coats … sent unto them from London.
1562. in Archaeologia, XLVII. 221. Yt apeareth a greate differens … betwene the excercised souldior and the rawe white coat.
1571. R. Bannatyne, Mem. (Bann. Club), 91. Thare began flyting,… ‘Away blewcoate!’ ‘I defy the whytcoite!’
1605. Heywood, If you know not me, C 2. Enter three white-cote souldiers. Ibid. (1631), Engl. Eliz., 113. For her guard two hundred Northern White Coates were appointed … to watch about her lodging.
1644. in Rushw., Hist. Coll., III. II. 634. The Marquess of Newcastle’s Regiment of White Coats were almost wholly cut off for they scorned to fly.
1662. A. Cooper, Stratologia, VI. 115. In the main battail do our white Coats stand.
1840. Hor. Smith, ed. Oliver Cromwell, II. 159. Newcastle, with all his whitecoats.
b. 1861. Meredith, Lett. to Mrs. J. Ross, 19 Nov. Verona … is now less a City than a fortress. You see nothing but white coats—who form the majority of the inhabitants.
2. A young seal, having a coat of white fur; also the fur itself.
1792. G. Cartwright, Jrnl. Labrador, III. p. x. Whitecoat, a young seal, before it has cast its first coat, which is white and furry.
1892. Daily News, 28 March, 6/2. The skin of the small pup seal … is of small value, being known as ‘Whitecoat.’
