Coat Definition - Definition of Coats for the Clothing Industry presented by Apparel Search

Confusingly, what was once called a coat is now commonly referred to as a jacket, as in a dinner jacket, although the original meaning is still used in tailoring to mean the upper part of a suit, for example.

What is now commonly called a coat an outer layer of clothing such as a trench coat is, in tailoring terms, correctly called an overcoat, since it is worn over the coat.

Do you know the difference between a coat & jacket?  Well, you may want to visit the fashion questions & answers section to learn more. Visit the difference between coats & jackets page for an explanation.