Buskin

A Buskin is a knee- or calf-length boot made of leather or cloth which laces closed, but is open across the toes. It was worn by Athenian tragic actors, hunters and soldiers in Ancient Greek, Etruscan and Roman societies.

The word buskin, only recorded in English since 1503 meaning "half boot," is of origin unknown, perhaps from Old French brousequin (in modern French brodequin) or deriectly from its Middle Dutch model brosekin "small leather boot." Figurative senses relating to tragedy are from the word being used (since 1570) to translate Greek kothurnus, the high, thick-soled boot worn in Athenian tragedy; contrasted with sock, the low shoe worn by comedians.

It is also used as a name of a torturing device used in the Middle Ages: the boot.

Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, buskins are ceremonial (liturgical) stockings of silk, sometimes interwoven with gold threads and even heavily embroidered, worn by the celebrant of a pontifical Mass. The buskins can be worn over regular dress socks with regular dress shoes for the lower-ranking clergy and over white socks and the special red papal shoes by the pope.

Originally liturgical buskins were worn by all priests, till they were reserved about the eighth century for the exclusive use of bishops as part of the pontificalia, i.e. episcopal 'regalia', a privilege in modern times extended to some lesser prelates. In liturgical colour they correspond to the chasuble, but are never worn with black.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) [1]