also: しい
noun
Specifically a black robe worn by Buddhist priests. A literary or technical term used in Buddhist contexts.
緇衣をまとった僧侶が静かに歩いていた。
A monk wearing a black robe was walking quietly.
noun
Metonymic use: the robe stands for the priest who wears it. Rare and literary; cross-referenced with 僧侶.
See also: 僧侶
古い寺の記録に「緇衣数十人」とある。
An old temple record says 'several tens of priests' (literally 'black robes').
僧侶 is the standard modern word for a Buddhist priest or monk. 緇衣 is a rare literary term, either for the robe itself or as a metonym for the priest.
From Chinese 緇衣 (zīyī), literally 'black clothing'. In Japanese Buddhist usage, it refers specifically to the black robe of a priest, and by extension to the priest.