thumb|Almuce, worn by a Roman Catholic priest, Fribourg,
An almuce was a hood-like shoulder cape worn as a choir vestment in the Middle Ages, especially in England. Initially, it was worn by the general population. It found lasting use by certain canons regular, such as the white almutium worn on the arm by Premonstratensian canons. Use of fur-lined almuce was against the rules of the canons, leading to requests for dispensations from the rule, as described by Alison Fizzard. It also survives in the tippet and hood worn by some Anglican priests.
The almuce or amess is defined by E. L. Cutts as a tippet of black cloth with a hood attached, lined with fur, worn in choir by canons, and in some counties of England by parochial rectors. The academic hood is a derivative from the medieval almuce.
The almuce was originally a head-covering only, worn by the clergy, but adopted also by the laity, and the German word Mütze "cap" and Swedish mössa "toque" is later than the introduction of the almuce in church, and is derived from it.
History
In numerous documents from the 12th to the 15th century the almucium is mentioned, occasionally as identical with the hood, but more often as a sort of cap distinct from it. By the 14th century two types of almucium were distinguished: a cap coming down just over the ears, and a hood-like cap falling over the back and shoulders. This latter was reserved for the more important canons and was worn over surplice or rochet in choir.