What does barret mean?
A barret is a flat or slightly rounded cap worn on the head, best known as a garment of earlier centuries: it appeared on scholars, clergymen, and fashionable men in Renaissance and early modern Europe, often rendered in dark fabric and sometimes decorated. The word derives from French and belongs to the same family of headwear terms as "beret" — the soft round cap still worn today — and "biretta," the square cap of Catholic clergy. In contemporary English, "barret" is uncommon and carries an antique flavor; it turns up chiefly in historical fiction, art description, and costume discussion rather than everyday speech. It should not be confused with "barrette," the small clip used to hold hair in place, though the two words share a common origin. For readers of older texts or students of dress history, "barret" is a useful term for identifying this distinctive style of cap.
nounA barret is a flat or slightly rounded cap, historically worn by men and especially associated with clergy and academics; it is now largely a historical term, largely superseded by the related 'beret' and 'biretta'.
- A flat or rounded cap worn by men, especially clergy, academics, or figures in historical dress; now chiefly historical.
"The portrait showed the scholar in his dark academic gown and barret."
"The Tudor gentleman was depicted wearing a black barret trimmed with feathers."
"In the painting, the cardinal's barret marked his rank as clearly as his scarlet robes."
The plural simply adds -s; because the word is rare, plurals appear almost exclusively in historical or descriptive writing.
"The museum displayed several barrets from the sixteenth century."
Before the beret became a fashion icon, its older cousin the barret sat on the heads of scholars and clergymen — today it survives mostly in old portraits and surname lineages.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of barret
The word "barret" comes from the French "barrette," a diminutive relating to caps and head coverings, and entered English in the medieval or early modern period to describe a man's cap. It is closely related to "beret," which descends from the same Romance headwear vocabulary, and to "biretta," the clerical cap whose name traveled through Italian. Over time, "barret" fell out of ordinary use as "beret" became the standard term for the soft round cap, leaving "barret" as a largely historical word.
How barret is actually used
"Barret" is now rare in everyday English and appears mainly in historical, literary, or genealogical contexts (it also survives as a surname). Modern readers are far more likely to encounter "beret" or "barrette," so the word should be used with awareness that it may read as archaic.
Easily confused with barret
A barrette is a small hair clip for fastening hair, while a barret is a type of cap worn on the head.
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat still commonly worn today, whereas a barret is an older term for a similar cap, now largely historical.