What does hatting mean?
Hatting is an uncommon English noun with two related meanings. Its principal historical sense is the work or business of making hats, a use associated with older manufacturing and trade terminology. It may also mean the act of putting on or wearing a hat. The word is formed straightforwardly from hat and the suffix -ing, so the association with the hat-making trade can be understood from its structure. Although hatting is no longer common in ordinary speech, it survives in names and descriptions of historic trades, including hatting mills and workshops. The second sense is more readily intelligible to modern readers but remains literary or uncommon. The word is easily confused with hating because the two differ chiefly in the initial vowel and have entirely different meanings.
nounThe work or business of making hats. It can also denote the act of putting on or wearing a hat.
- The work or business of making hats.
- The act of putting on or wearing a hat.
"The old hatting workshop was known for its finely made straw hats."
"The old hatting workshop produced hats for farmers throughout the region."
"The actor completed his hatting and stepped onto the stage."
The countable plural is rare and would be used only for separate instances of the act of hatting.
"The backstage preparations included two brief hattings before the performance."
Hatting can mean either making hats or putting one on—a neat illustration of how -ing can name a trade as readily as an action.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hatting come from?
Hatting was formed in English from the noun hat and the suffix -ing. The base word hat is recorded from Middle English, with an Old English form hætt, and has Germanic relatives including Dutch hoed and German Hut; its ultimate origin is uncertain. The derived form came to denote the work of making hats and, by extension, the act of putting on or wearing one.
How hatting is actually used
Hatting is rare and now chiefly dated, especially in the sense referring to the hat-making trade. The sense involving putting on or wearing a hat is uncommon in modern English.
Easily confused with hatting
Hatting refers to making or wearing hats, whereas hating means feeling intense dislike for someone or something.