A white robe or vestment placed on a baptized infant, representing purity and innocence; also called a chrismale or chrisomclout.
Variant of 'chrism' that shifted meaning to describe the white garment rather than the oil itself. The term emerged in Middle English and became particularly associated with the practical garment given during infant baptism.
If a baby died unbaptized, medieval churches called them 'chrisom children'—it's a heartbreaking term for infants who never got to wear the white chrisom robe that marked them as part of the church.
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