Put a Lid On It: Hats, Hoods, and Other Headgear

This flat, brimless piece of headwear is most often associated with French culture and fashion. We can trace the origin of beret back to the Late Latin birrus, "large, hooded cloak." From the time they were invented, berets have been casual, fashionable caps most often made of wool or felt.

The English word bonnet comes the Scottish bonat, which is from the Old French chapel de bonet — an every-day, functional hat that was worn outdoors by both men and women. Today, you're less likely to see a bonnet on someone, unless she's a historical reenactor or acting in a play.

A cowl is a type of hood. Christian monks often wear a belted robe-like garment with a cowl. In the world of pop culture, Batman's mask is called a cowl because it covers not just his face but also his neck, and is attached to the rest of his costume.

The derby is a hard, felt hat with a rounded crown. The style was first worn by gentlemen in England in the 1850s as part of a formal but practical outfit that was designed for riding horses. Two English milliners, the Bowler brothers, invented this hat to replace the tall top hat, which was easily knocked off people's heads when they rode under low-hanging tree branches. When the bowler was introduced to America, it became known as the derby, which is also a horse race.

The fedora first gained wide popularity in the late 1800s when noted actress Sarah Bernhardt wore one in a play. One hundred years later, another legendary actor introduced the hat to a new generation. Harrison Ford, starring as archeologist and action hero Indiana Jones, risked life and limb (remember when he reached under the falling boulder to grab his fedora?) to save the coolest hat of all time.

A fez is a short, round, red hat with a flat top and a tassel. Years ago, the fez was the official national hat of Turkey, and before that the Ottoman Empire. Today fezzes are sometimes worn by certain groups of Muslims and members of fraternal organizations such as the Shriners and the Elks. Fez is a French word that comes from the city of Fez in Morocco, where most of the hats were once made.

For many Muslim women, the hijab signifies both modesty and privacy. In some cases, the hijab is worn by a woman when she's with men who aren't in her own family. For other Muslims, it's equally important to wear a hijab in the presence of non-Muslims, including women. Still other practicing Muslims choose not to wear a hijab at all. The word hijab is Persian, from the Arabic hajaba, or "veil."

A milliner is not a hat — it's a person who designs, makes, and often sells hats. The term originally applied to anyone from Milan, Italy. The city has historically been a source of fine ribbons, silk flowers, and other fancy goods known as millinery. These embellishments are just the kind of thing that hat-makers use to adorn their creations, which is why the term evolved to describe the people who make them.

A toque is the tall hat that many professional chefs wear. At one time, the color of your toque represented your rank in the kitchen, but since the late 18th century most chef toques have been white. You can also use the word toque to describe an old-fashioned women's hat, or, in Canada, a knitted winter cap. The origin of this word is uncertain, although some experts believe it stems from the Arabic word taqa, "opening."

Sikhs are the most common wearers of turbans, including some Sikh women (although theirs are usually called a Dahtar). In Islam, different types of turbans represent different beliefs or social statuses. Turban comes from a Persian root, dulband. In western fashion, there is a smaller woman's hat that's also called a turban and is styled after the traditional religious headwear.

A wimple is a long piece of cloth that is wound around the head and the neck. It was considered proper during early medieval times for a married woman to cover her hair, and the use of wimples grew out of this custom. Married women no longer wore wimples after the 15th century, but they became an important part of a Catholic nun's traditional clothing.

A yarmulke is a brimless skullcap that is worn as an expression of religious faith by Jewish people. The word comes directly from Yiddish, which got it from a Polish word meaning "headwear worn by priests." The Hebrew name for yarmulke is kippah.