pith helmet

American  

noun

1. a hat made of dried pith or cork covered with cloth, worn in the tropics.

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pith helmet British  

noun

1. Also called: topee.   topi.  a lightweight hat made of pith that protects the wearer from the sun

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Etymology

Origin of pith helmet

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

He wore a pith helmet that had been painted to match the balloon’s bright patchwork of colors and patterns, with a small, brave flag flying on top.

From Literature

Penelope’s scalp was already sweaty beneath her pith helmet, and she found herself shooing away imaginary gnats.

From Literature

You can’t get up when that happens, so a stage manager in a pith helmet would come and drag them off.

From New York Times

In the show we find him turning the design for a divination board into a tea tray, and carving a portrait of a British official dressed in conspicuously snazzy Yoruba slippers and a pith helmet.

From New York Times

One grainy picture shows a group clad in pith helmets surrounded by piles of palace art.

From Los Angeles Times