cravat

American  

[kruh-vat] / krəˈvæt /

noun

1. necktie.

2. a cloth, often made of or trimmed with lace, worn about the neck by men especially in the 17th century.

3. Medicine/Medical. a bandage made by folding a triangular piece of material into a band, used temporarily for a fracture or wound.

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cravat British  

/ krəˈvæt /

noun

1. a scarf of silk or fine wool, worn round the neck, esp by men

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Etymology

Origin of cravat

1650–60; < French cravate neckcloth, literally, Croat (< German Krabate < Serbo-Croatian hr̀vāt ); so called because worn by Croatian mercenaries in the French army

Explanation

A cravat is an old-fashioned, scarf-like necktie. If you come across some 18th-century portraits of wealthy men, you'll definitely see a few cravats. You can think of the cravat as the ancestor of the tie that's often worn with a formal suit today. A cravat is basically a short scarf worn around the neck and tucked into the collar of a shirt. The word cravat comes from the French Cravate, "Croat" or "Croatian." And it was Croatian soldiers who first started the cravat craze in France during the 1630s. Croatia still observes a national Cravat Day every year on October 18th.

Example Sentences

“How beautiful she is in her shining raiment,” he rhapsodizes, “her birch-bark body, her sable bodice, her white cravat, her goffered ruff.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

And, of course, there is Lisa, who spends the first episode doing a posh take on Diane Keaton’s “Annie Hall” wardrobe, complete with a lavender cravat.

From Salon • Dec. 2, 2025

Grant’s commitment to his dastardly rogue barely goes beyond his cravat — he’d rather guffaw than feign gravitas.

From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2023

Men are required to wear lounge suits, or jackets, or blazers with trousers, together with a tie or a cravat.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2021

Once, when concocting a varnish with Mr. Gitney, Mr. Sharpe chanced to spill some of their new mixture on his cravat, which left a yellow stain.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson