White coat

A white coat, also known as a laboratory coat or lab coat, is a knee-length overcoat or <a href="/facts/Smock-frock/YyHHXPHa">smock</a> worn by professionals in the <a href="/facts/Medicine/2fnp90Je">medical</a> field or by those involved in <a href="/facts/Laboratory/kqR3Vtx9">laboratory</a> work. The coat protects their street clothes and also serves as a simple uniform. The garment is made from white or light-colored <a href="/facts/Cotton/efXRcjbn">cotton</a>, <a href="/facts/Linen/MHrhhjyW">linen</a>, or cotton <a href="/facts/Polyester/Ivp9CHpl">polyester</a> blend, allowing it to be washed at high temperature and making it easy to see if it is clean.
Similar coats are a symbol of learning in Argentina and Uruguay, where they are worn by both students and teachers in state schools. In <a href="/facts/Tunisia/4uC8Po6k">Tunisia</a> and <a href="/facts/Mozambique/mMWQ80JT">Mozambique</a>, teachers wear white coats to protect their street clothes from chalk.
Like the word "<a href="/facts/Suit_(clothing)/CApMu7c8">suit</a>", the phrase "white coat" is sometimes used as a <a href="/facts/Metonym/EdwzPEyE">metonym</a> to denote the wearer, such as a scientist working in a high-tech company.

White coat open-in-new

White coat