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• bonnet
  bonnet

  noun

  a hat, usually tying under the chin and often framing the face, formerly much worn by women but now worn mostly by children.
• Bonnet
  Bonnet

  noun

  Georges 1889–1973, French statesman.

bonnet

¹ American  

[bon-it] / ˈbɒn ɪt /

noun

bonnets plural

1. a hat, usually tying under the chin and often framing the face, formerly much worn by women but now worn mostly by children.

2. Informal. any hat worn by women.

3. Chiefly Scot. a man's or boy's cap.

4. a bonnetlike headdress.

   an Indian war bonnet.

5. any of various hoods, covers, or protective devices.

6. a cowl, hood, or wind cap for a fireplace or chimney, to stabilize the draft.

7. the part of a valve casing through which the stem passes and that forms a guide and seal for the stem.

8. a chamber at the top of a hot-air furnace from which the leaders emerge.

9. Chiefly British. an automobile hood.

10. Nautical. a supplementary piece of canvas laced to the foot of a fore-and-aft sail, especially a jib, in light winds.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put a bonnet on.

Bonnet ² American  

[baw-ne] / bɔˈnɛ /

noun

1. Georges 1889–1973, French statesman.

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bonnet British  

/ ˈbɒnɪt /

noun

1. any of various hats worn, esp formerly, by women and girls, usually framing the face and tied with ribbons under the chin

2. Also called: bunnet. 

   1. a soft cloth cap

   2. formerly, a flat brimless cap worn by men

3. the hinged metal part of a motor vehicle body that provides access to the engine, or to the luggage space in a rear-engined vehicle

4. a cowl on a chimney

5. nautical a piece of sail laced to the foot of a foresail to give it greater area in light winds

6. (in the US and Canada) a headdress of feathers worn by some tribes of American Indians, esp formerly as a sign of war

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Bonnet Scientific  

/ bô-nĕ′ /

1. Swiss naturalist who discovered parthenogenesis when he observed that aphid eggs could develop without fertilization. Bonnet was also one of the first scientists to study photosynthesis.

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bonnet Idioms  

1. see bee in one's bonnet.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bonnetless
  adjective
• bonnetlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bonnets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bonnet

1375–1425; late Middle English bonet < Middle French; Old French bonet material from which hats are made, perhaps < Old Low Franconian *bunni something bound (< Germanic *bund-, noun derivative of *bind- bind; cf. bundle), with -et -et; compare Late Latin abonnis, obbonis ribbon forming part of a headdress < Germanic, with a prefix corresponding to Middle High German obe- above

Explanation

A bonnet is an old-fashioned hat that ties under the chin. Sometimes people dress babies up in frilly clothes and bonnets. A bonnet isn't stiff like many hats are — instead, it's made of soft fabric and has no brim. It was common during the 17th and 18th centuries for women to wear bonnets, to keep their hair tidy and protected from dust and sun when they were outdoors. Today, you're less likely to see a bonnet on a grown woman, unless she's a historical reenactor or acting in a play. The root of bonnet is the Scottish bonat, "brimless hat."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bonnet Bonnet bonnets

On one trip, then 6-year-old Bridget won a Laura look-alike contest in a handmade pinafore and bonnet sewn by her grandmother.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Her teachers instantly recognized the pinafore dress and bonnet, but her fellow students didn’t know who she was.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Critics said the car, with its ultra-long bonnet and chunky wheels, was a departure from the E-Type maker's roots.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

The dining room table, where the sisters wrote, is strewn with manuscripts, quill pens and tea cups; a bonnet and shawl bedeck a chair in the small kitchen.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

The little old Queen shaped exactly like a teapot, with white feathers in her bonnet.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Known as Charles Bonnet Syndrome, the phenomenon is the brain's way of "filling in" sudden missing visual data.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

He was the son of married artists Adam Silverman and Louise Bonnet, who are the plaintiffs in the suit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025

Bite into a Maldivian Scotch Bonnet, and you’ll start to feel your tongue get numb, your forehead sweat and your brain crave a glass of milk.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025

"Just 15 to 20 years ago, sending a kilogram into space cost $60,000," Bonnet told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025

Our logo is there, but beneath that in italicized letters it says: Official Sponsor of Clover City’s Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

The white women in bonnets still make appearances, but so do performers like Stephen Seals, who portrays James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved Virginian turned revolutionary spy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Naoshi’s pieces usually center around a chic ingenue sporting food-focused fashion — think bonnets made of bonbons and boba tea skirts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

T&E also highlights concerns that high bonnets can create blind spots.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025

Watching Carrie write this novel, click-clacking away at her keyboard, pondering bonnets and buggies, is equivalent to watching a loved one descend into madness.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2025

She stared at the capable-looking governesses who accompanied these children—women from another world, in capes and starchstringed bonnets who sat sideways on the seat to drive the pony.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith