definitions

berretta

[ buh-ret-uh ]
/ bəˈrɛt ə /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR berretta ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Roman Catholic Church.

biretta.

RELATED WORDS

administrator, pontiff, pope, cleric, patriarch, director, priest, prelate, angel, metropolitan, primate, cap, coadjutor, overseer, diocesan, suffragan, archer, mitre, miter, abba

Nearby words

bernstein, bernstein test, bernstein, leonard, bernstorff, berra, berretta, berried, berrigan, berry, berry aneurysm, berry spoon

Definition for berretta (2 of 2)

biretta

or ber·ret·ta, bir·ret·ta

[ buh-ret-uh ]
/ bəˈrɛt ə /

noun

a stiff square cap with three or four upright projecting pieces extending from the center of the top to the edge, worn by ecclesiastics.

Origin of biretta

1590–1600; < Italian berretta, feminine variant of berretto < Old Provençal berret < Medieval Latin birrettum cap, equivalent to Late Latin birr(us) birrus + -ettum -et; apparently by the development: hooded cloak > hood > cap; compare Medieval Latin (circa 800) byrrus short hood (cuculla brevis)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for berretta

British Dictionary definitions for berretta (1 of 2)

berretta

/ (bɪˈrɛtə) /

noun

a variant spelling of biretta

British Dictionary definitions for berretta (2 of 2)

biretta

berretta

/ (bɪˈrɛtə) /

noun

RC Church a stiff clerical cap having either three or four upright pieces projecting outwards from the centre to the edge: coloured black for priests, purple for bishops, red for cardinals, and white for certain members of religious orders

Word Origin for biretta

C16: from Italian berretta, from Old Provençal berret, from Late Latin birrus hooded cape
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012