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bonnet rouge

American  
[baw-ne roozh] / bɔ nɛ ˈruʒ /

noun

French.

plural

bonnets rouges
  1. a red liberty cap, worn by extremists during the French Revolution.

  2. an extremist or radical.


bonnet rouge British  
/ bɔnɛ ruʒ /

noun

  1. a red cap worn by ardent supporters of the French Revolution

  2. an extremist or revolutionary

"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

Etymology

Origin of bonnet rouge

literally: red cap

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His riff on red asked if the colour of revolution was inspired by blood or by fire, and took in the bonnet rouge of the French Revolution, Garibaldi, Uruguayan butchers, bullfighters and Buddhism.

From The Guardian • Sep. 24, 2017

A French troop under Delange advanced as far as Aix-la-Chapelle, where they crowned the statue of Charlemagne with a bonnet rouge.

From Germany from the Earliest Period Volume 4 by Horrocks, Mrs. George

Over the gates is a pole, supporting a dirty and tattered bonnet rouge, of which species of republican decoration there are very few now to be seen in Paris.

From The Stranger in France or, a Tour from Devonshire to Paris Illustrated by Engravings in Aqua Tint of Sketches Taken on the Spot. by Carr, John, Sir

Every house bears an inscription, giving the names and ages of the occupants, decorated with patriotic colours of red, white and blue, with figures of the Gallic cock and the bonnet rouge.

From The Story of Paris by Kimball, Katherine

The queen took the bonnet rouge from this man's hands, and placed it herself on the dauphin's head.

From History of the Girondists, Volume I Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution by Ryde, H. T.