What does stovepipe mean?
A stovepipe is the metal pipe that carries smoke or hot gases from a stove to a chimney or flue. The word is chiefly used in North America, although British English commonly calls the connection a stove flue. In the 19th century, stovepipe also became a name for a tall, narrow, cylindrical hat, often made of black silk or felt; the expression stovepipe hat remains familiar today. The word is strikingly literal: it names a pipe serving a stove, and its physical shape helped produce the hat sense. Although modern heating systems generally use flues rather than traditional stovepipes, the term survives in older buildings, descriptions of historic architecture, and figurative language associated with tall formal hats. It is especially useful when distinguishing a dedicated pipe from a chimney or flue and when discussing the distinctive clothing and style of the 19th century.
nounA stovepipe is a pipe, usually made of metal, that carries smoke or hot gases from a stove to a chimney or flue. By extension, it can refer to a tall, cylindrical hat of the kind commonly called a stovepipe hat.
- A pipe used to carry smoke or hot gases from a stove to a chimney or flue.
- A tall, cylindrical hat, especially a formal black hat of the 19th century.
"A bird had built a nest in the old stovepipe, blocking the smoke from escaping."
"The farmhouse had a rusty stovepipe running up the side of the building."
"He wore a black stovepipe to the wedding, making him look unmistakably formal."
Used when referring to multiple pipes connected to stoves or to multiple stovepipe hats.
"The two stovepipes were removed and replaced with modern flues."
A pipe with a job as literal as its name: it carries smoke from a stove to a chimney, and its tall shape later gave us the stovepipe hat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stovepipe come from?
The word is an English compound of stove and pipe, developing from the literal description of a pipe connected to a stove. The hat sense arose from the pipe's tall, straight shape and was especially associated with formal 19th-century headwear. Pipe itself is a long-established English word, borrowed through Middle English from Old English pīpe and ultimately Latin pīpa.
How stovepipe is actually used
The physical-pipe sense is chiefly North American, while British English more often uses stove flue for the chimney connection. The hat sense is historical and formal, though the compound stovepipe hat remains familiar.