petasus

American  

[pet-uh-suhs] / ˈpɛt ə səs /

Also petasos

noun

petasuses plural

1. a broad-brimmed hat worn by ancient Greek travelers and hunters, often represented in art as a winged hat worn by Hermes or Mercury.

---

petasus British  

/ -ˌsɒs, ˈpɛtəsəs, ˈpɛtəsəs /

noun

1. a broad-brimmed hat worn by the ancient Greeks, such as one with wings on either side as traditionally worn by Mercury

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• petasuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of petasus

1590–1600; < Latin < Greek pétasos, akin to petannýnai to spread out

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

petasus

Under an oilskin hat, like the petasus of Hermes, pushed back from his white forehead, crisp black curls were knotted around a head whose beardless face was perfect as a cameo cutting.

From The Heritage of Dedlow Marsh and Other Tales by Harte, Bret

It is a statuette, apparently of gold, or, more probably, of bronze-gilt—a figure of Mercury, obviously, its head being surmounted with the petasus or winged hat, the usual accessory of that deity. 

From A Changed Man; and other tales by Hardy, Thomas

Where are you going?” he continued, as he saw his friend take down his broad petasus.

From Callista : a Tale of the Third Century by Newman, John Henry

His trousers were of moleskin; his boots reached almost to his knees; for head-covering he had the cheapest kind of undyed felt, its form exactly that of the old petasus.

From The Nether World by Gissing, George

The modern hat can be traced back to the petasus worn by the ancient Romans when on a journey; and hats were also thus used by the earlier Greeks.

From Walking-Stick Papers by Holliday, Robert Cortes