What does berretta mean?
A berretta is a square cap with three or four stiff projections, worn by Roman Catholic clergy — and some Anglican clergy — as part of their formal and liturgical dress. Borrowed into English from Italian, where 'berretta' means simply a cap, the word most often appears in English as 'biretta', though 'berretta' preserves the Italian form. The cap's color traditionally signals the wearer's rank within the Church hierarchy: black for priests, purple (or amaranth red) for bishops, and scarlet for cardinals. Because it is a distinctly ecclesiastical garment, the word rarely appears outside religious contexts, church histories, or discussions of clerical vestments. It should not be confused with the soft civilian beret, despite their shared etymology, nor with Beretta, the Italian firearms maker whose name happens to resemble it closely.
nounA square cap with three or four rigid projections on top, worn by Roman Catholic clergy and some Anglican clergy as part of their liturgical dress. It is also the Italian word for any cap, from which the English ecclesiastical term was borrowed.
- The square, peaked liturgical cap worn by clergy of the Roman Catholic and some other churches.
- (Italian) A general term for a cap.
"The bishop removed his black berretta before beginning the homily."
"Cardinal Bellini adjusted his scarlet berretta as he entered the basilica."
"In Italian, 'berretta' simply means any kind of cap."
Standard English plural; the Italian plural is 'berrette'.
"The seminarians' black berrettas were lined up neatly on the shelf."
The berretta's stiff little horns once signaled rank in the Church — its color told you at a glance whether you stood before a pope, a bishop, or a parish priest.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of berretta
The word comes from Italian 'berretta', meaning a cap, which itself derives from Late Latin 'birrettum', a diminutive of 'birrus', a hooded cloak of Gaulish origin. English adopted it in reference to the distinctive clerical cap, where the anglicized spelling 'biretta' became standard. It shares its ultimate root with 'beret', the soft round cap that entered English via French from the same Béarnais dialect source.
How berretta is actually used
In English, the spelling 'biretta' is far more common for the clerical cap; 'berretta' reflects the original Italian. The color traditionally denotes rank — black for priests, purple for bishops, red for cardinals.
Easily confused with berretta
Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer, whereas berretta (or biretta) is a clerical cap.
A beret is a soft, round flat cap without projections, while a berretta is the stiff, square-peaked cap of clergy.