What does hatrack mean?
Hattrack is an uncommon noun with two related meanings. Most commonly, it denotes a rack, stand, or hook where hats can be hung, especially in an entrance hall, shop, or cloakroom. It can also mean a heap or pile of hats, a sense that is more literary and may suggest an untidy collection or a comic abundance of headwear. Although the word appears in older British and American writing, ordinary speakers now generally use “hat stand,” “hat rack,” or “coat rack” instead. Hattrack can be useful when a writer wants a period, deliberately old-fashioned tone or wants to exploit the contrast between a place for storing hats and a pile of hats themselves. The compound is straightforward in formation, combining “hat” with “rack,” but its dated character distinguishes it from its familiar modern alternatives.
nounA rack or stand on which hats can be hung; less commonly, a pile or heap of hats.
- A rack, stand, or other fixture for hanging or temporarily placing hats.
- A pile or heap of hats.
"She hung her coat and hat on the hatrack beside the entrance."
"Her old felt hat hung from the hatrack by the door."
"He cleared a hatrack of borrowed hats from the hall table."
The regular plural is rarely encountered because the noun itself is uncommon.
"Several wooden hatracks stood along the walls of the old dressing room."
Hattrack has a double life: it can name the place where hats hang or the hats themselves piled in a heap.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hatrack come from?
Hattrack is an English compound formed from “hat” and “rack” and is attested in the early nineteenth century. Its first element descends from Old English ancestry, while “rack” entered Middle English from Old Norse rekkr, denoting a framework or support. Words such as “hatbox” and “hatter” share the “hat” element, while “rack” itself preserves the second root in the compound.
How hatrack is actually used
Hattrack is now rare and chiefly literary or historical. The rack sense is the more straightforward modern dictionary meaning, while the heap or pile sense is less common and often has a humorous or figurative flavor.
Easily confused with hatrack
A hatrack holds hats, whereas a hayrack is a frame or rack used to store hay.