▸nouna very coarse, rough fabric woven from flax or hemp.
– PHRASES sackcloth and ashes used with allusion to the wearing of sackcloth and having ashes sprinkled on the head as a sign of penitence or mourning (Matt 11:21):
they should, at least, be wearing sackcloth and ashes in token penance of the wrongs committed.
EnglishOxford New American Dictionary
