Hat
nounA shaped covering worn on the head, often for warmth, protection, or style.
How to spell hat
3 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce hat
What does hat mean?
- nounA shaped covering worn on the head, often for warmth, protection, or style.
Hat in a sentence
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He pulled his wool hat down over his ears in the cold wind.
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She bought a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off her face.
Where does hat come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This is a thoroughly native English word, descending from the Old English haet, meaning a covering for the head. That word traces back to a Proto-Germanic root hattuz, which carried the underlying sense of something that protects or shields, and it is related to the same family that gave us 'hood'. The original notion was protective: a hat was first and foremost a guard against weather rather than a fashion item. Because the word has been in continuous everyday use for well over a thousand years, its spelling stayed short and simple, mirroring its single short vowel. There is no hidden silent letter or borrowed twist, which is exactly why it remains one of the most regular words in English.
How the word is built
- hat (a single Old English root, no prefix or suffix)
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