The Cotte was a medieval outer garment, a long sleeved shift, or tunic

Tunic

A tunic is any of several types of clothing for the body, of various lengths reaching from the shoulders to somewhere between the hips and the ankles...

, usually girded, and worn by men and women. In medieval texts, it was used to translate tunica

Tunica

Tunica may refer to:* The latin word for tunic, a type of clothing typical in the ancient world* In anatomy, tunica refers to a structure comprising a blood vessel; types include Tunica albuginea and Tunica vasculosa...

 or chiton

Chiton (costume)

A chiton was a form of clothing worn by men and women in Ancient Greece, from the Archaic period to the Hellenistic period ....

. Synonyms would include tunic

Tunic

A tunic is any of several types of clothing for the body, of various lengths reaching from the shoulders to somewhere between the hips and the ankles...

 or gown

Gown

A gown is a loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century ; later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt.A long, loosely-fitted gown called a Banyan was worn by men in the 18th...

. It was worn over a shirt (chemise

Chemise

The term chemise or shift can refer to the classic smock, or else can refer to certain modern types of women's undergarments and dresses...

), and a sleeveless surcote could be worn over it. By the sixteenth century it had become a woman's undergarment, later (seventeenth century) it split into an upper 'corps' and a lower 'cotte', or skirt, amongst the poorer classes.