Bonnet

¹ American  

[baw-ne] / bɔˈnɛ /

noun

1. Georges 1889–1973, French statesman.

---

bonnet ² American  

[bon-it] / ˈbɒn ɪt /

noun

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.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to put a bonnet on.

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

---

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.

---

bonnet Idioms  

1. see bee in one's bonnet.

---

Other Word Forms

• bonnetless adjective
• bonnetlike adjective

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; 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

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, one end of the observation car had been filled by several women in white bonnets, joined by men with straw hats, footlong beards and no mustaches.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC

"The neighbours' kids used to bounce on the bonnet and we used to tell them off," said his wife, Susan.

From BBC

The lady smiled primly and scratched under the edge of her bonnet.

From Literature

At the milliner’s shop, she chose a bonnet to match the dress, and at the shoemaker’s, a pair of sturdy oxfords that would do nicely for the fall weather.

From Literature